PREDICTORS OF PATIENT COOPERATION DURING GASTROINTESTINAL ENDOSCOPY

We examined a number of patient variables, including three different s cales of preprocedure patient anxiety, to determine which best predict ed patient cooperation and satisfaction with gastrointestinal endoscop y. We prospectively evaluated 251 patients undergoing outpatient diagn ostic esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy under conscious sedat ion. All were given a questionnaire on arrival to our endoscopy center that included three measures of preprocedure anxiety: (a) a single qu estion asking how anxious the patient was (termed ''Anxiety I'' scale) ; (b) a visual linear analog scale of anxiety; and (c) the Hospital An xiety and Depression scale. Patient cooperation during the procedure w as rated by the attending endoscopist. Patients were telephoned the ne xt day to complete a questionnaire assessing their endoscopic experien ce. Logistic regression analysis was used to construct models for pred icting which patients were most likely to have difficulty during their procedures from both the endoscopists' and the patients' standpoint. Statistical analysis identified three parameters that by themselves si gnificantly correlated with patient cooperation during endoscopy: age (p = 0.008), Anxiety I scale (p = 0.03), and visual linear analog anxi ety score (p = 0.02). When used together, age, type of procedure, and Anxiety I scale were the best predictors of patient cooperation from t he standpoint of the endoscopist. Age, type of procedure, Anxiety I sc ale, and education level were the best predictors of satisfaction with endoscopy from the perspective of the patient. Good cooperation durin g endoscopy was associated with greater patient satisfaction.