Under a nurse-driven open access program, a routine colonoscopy screening is scheduled without a pre-procedure examination by a gastroenterologist, but nurses review patient history with electronic medical records and determine if they meet health requirements before scheduling procedures.
Henry Ford researchers examined 15,901 patients enrolled in open-access colonoscopy from 2006-2010. They then compared their outcomes to 6,861 patients who received outpatient gastroenterology consultation prior to screening from 1995-2002. Results showed outcomes for patients undergoing colonoscopy through an open-access program experienced fewer emergency room visits (1.6 percent vs. 1.16 percent) and inpatient stays (1.02 percent vs. 0.62 percent).
Read the hospital news release about open-access colonoscopy programs.
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