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Patients often recall polyp details inaccurately after colonoscopy
Most patients who undergo colonoscopy do not accurately recall information about detected polyps, which can have a negative impact on future screening and surveillance, according to a recent study.
In a prospective study, researchers evaluated the responses of 233 adult patients (mean age, 59 years) to a 35-question survey. All participants had undergone colonoscopy at the Digestive Disease Institute of the Cleveland Clinic. Information on demographics, previous colonoscopies, family and personal history of colorectal neoplasia and details of any polyps detected was collected. Patient responses were compared with medical records for accuracy.
Eighty-two percent of patients responded correctly when asked whether polyps were present upon colonoscopy. Among 118 patients who reported polyps, 61% recalled the number detected and 26% remembered polyp size. Responses regarding polyp pathology included 21% of patients who correctly recalled an adenomatous polyp, 10% who recalled a hyperplastic polyp and 10% who recalled normal colonic mucosa. Of size, number and pathology, at least one feature was correctly recalled by 39% of participants, 16% recalled two and 8% correctly remembered all three features.
Multivariate analysis indicated that polyp presence on prior colonoscopy (OR=7.0; 95% CI, 2.9-16.7) increased the likelihood of a patient correctly reporting polyp presence after the evaluated procedure, while time between colonoscopies (OR=0.91; 95% CI, 0.83-1.00 per year) and greater number of procedures performed (OR=0.64; 95% CI, 0.47-0.88) decreased the chance of correct recall. Age at colonoscopy, age at survey, sex, level of education or the method by which patients obtained colonoscopy results did not significantly impact memory.
“Although our data and data from other studies show that patients have a moderate recall of the presence or absence of polyps, the key details of size, number and pathology that drive surveillance intervals are not remembered,” the researchers wrote. “An assessment of tools that may enhance patient knowledge of important colonoscopy details should be performed. Knowledge of polyp features is important not only for the patient but for the relatives in the family. Physicians should emphasize that these findings impact future screening and/or surveillance of the patient and also their family.”