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My endoscopy experience

Posted By saturnqp95

"My endoscopy experience"

About: Queen Margaret Hospital / Endoscopy

(as a service user),

The nursing staff were fabulous - they couldn't have been more friendly, efficient and supportive.

The only negative part of the experience (aside from the procedure itself!) was the fact that the surgeon who conducted my procedure, insisted on my having a canula in place just in case an intravenous drug was required, which it was not. This was not only unnecessarily uncomfortable, it was also a shocking waste of resources. A huge pile of waste plastic was generated, amongst other things. It took the nurse no more than two minutes to insert the canula, so I can't help thinking that it would not have been too much of a disruption should it have been necessary to stop the procedure to insert it. The fact that some surgeons want it in place as a precautionary measure and others don't strongly suggests that it is not strictly necessary. 

My request is that in matters of resource consumption and waste generation, the individual preference of the surgeon should not prevail in a case like this, but that procedures are ALL regulated with a view to using the minimum resources possible. Safeguarding our health should not pollute the planet - particularly not at the whim of a doctor.

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Responses

Response from Donna Hughes, Head Person Centred Care, Patient Relations, NHS Fife 6 years ago
Donna Hughes
Head Person Centred Care, Patient Relations,
NHS Fife

Submitted on 28/11/2017 at 09:24
Published on Care Opinion at 09:50

picture of Donna Hughes

Dear Saturnqp95

Thank you for taking the time to give us feedback on your experience when visiting our Endoscopy Department.

I was please to read that nursing staff were friendly, efficient and supportive. It is rewarding when staff are acknowledged for their hard work. Please be assured I will pass on your kind positive words.

I was sorry to read about your negative experience and I would be keen to discuss that further with you. I would be grateful if you could give me a call me on 01592 643355 Ext 20148

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Response from Neil Cruickshank, Consultant Colerectal Surgeon & Clinical Lead for Endoscopy, Endoscopy, NHS Fife 6 years ago
Neil Cruickshank
Consultant Colerectal Surgeon & Clinical Lead for Endoscopy, Endoscopy,
NHS Fife

Submitted on 28/11/2017 at 09:31
Published on Care Opinion at 09:50

Thank you for your response.

Not all endoscopy procedures require a cannula however for more complex procedures such as colonoscopy or where patients are likely to require analgesia based on previous experience it is certainly advantageous to have intravenous access immediately available.

Patients can experience significant pain during procedures and being able to give prompt analgesia is certainly with the interest of the patient. Stopping to do this often is not as easy as one would expect especially if access is difficult. In my experience having immediate availability of iv access contributes to improved patient safety and experience.

Sometimes the bowel can go into spasm if this is the case then a drug called buscopan may be required (given iv) this relaxes the bowel and increases the ability of the endoscopist to identify polyps. It has been demonstrated this improves the quality of the procedure under these circumstances.

I hope this answers your question. I will raise this at our endoscopy users meeting to ensure the guidelines are followed.

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