Underuse and Overuse of Colonoscopy for Repeat Screening and Surveillance in the Veterans Health Administration.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Regular screening with colonoscopy lowers colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. We aimed to determine patterns of repeat and surveillance colonoscopy and identify factors associated with overuse and underuse of colonoscopy.

Methods

We analyzed data from participants in a previous Veterans Health Administration (VHA) study who underwent outpatient colonoscopy at 25 VHA facilities between October 2007 and September 2008 (n = 1455). The proportion of patients who received a follow-up colonoscopy was calculated for 3 risk groups, which were defined on the basis of the index colonoscopy: no adenoma, low-risk adenoma, or high-risk adenoma.

Results

Colonoscopy was overused (used more frequently than intervals recommended by guidelines) by 16% of patien

SUBMITTER: Murphy CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4761454 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature