Enhanced Ward Rounds for Bowel Preparation Quality in Hospitalized Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy

Adequate bowel preparation is critical for successful colonoscopy, yet inadequate preparation remains a significant clinical challenge, occurring in 20-30% of procedures. In hospitalized patients undergoing therapeutic colonoscopy, suboptimal preparation leads to increased costs, prolonged hospital stay, and potential procedure cancellation or rescheduling. Current standard care involves resident ward rounds twice daily.

This cluster-randomized crossover trial aims to evaluate whether increasing the frequency of structured resident ward rounds from 2 to 4 times per day can improve bowel preparation quality in hospitalized patients scheduled for therapeutic colonoscopy. The enhanced ward round intervention includes standardized checklist review, medication verification, dietary compliance confirmation, adverse event screening, and timely intervention when needed.

Three hospital wards will be randomly assigned to different sequences of intervention and control periods using a crossover design with washout periods. The primary outcome is adequate bowel preparation quality assessed by Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS ≥6 with each segment ≥2), evaluated by blinded endoscopists. Secondary outcomes include procedure quality metrics (cecal intubation rate, examination duration), safety endpoints (electrolyte disturbances, aspiration events), health economics measures (length of stay, total costs), and healthcare worker burden (nursing workload, night-time call frequency).

Subgroup analyses will examine intervention effects across age groups, cognitive function levels, prior colonoscopy experience, and comorbidity burden to identify populations most likely to benefit from enhanced monitoring.

This pragmatic trial addresses a clinically relevant question using a real-world implementation strategy designed to minimize workflow disruption. Results will inform evidence-based policies regarding optimal ward round frequency for colonoscopy preparation in hospital settings.