Gender and Physician differences in the Physician-Patient Discussion Prior to Open Access Colonoscopy

Objective: The purpose of our study was to examine the discussion prior to open access colonoscopy (OAC) to assess for areas of improvement. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was administered to consecutive patients undergoing OAC. Results: 426 subjects completed the questionnaire. Male subjects reported a mean 9.7 +4.3 minutes of discussion about CRCS, colonoscopy procedure and preparation compared to female subjects at 7.6 +4.3 min. 52% of participants felt that they were adequately informed prior to OAC. Women were less likely to have discussed other forms of CRCS (OR 0.36, p<0.001), risks of colonoscopy (OR 0.45, p=0.005) medications to avoid (OR 0.51, p=0.012) and were half as likely to feel adequately informed by their practitioner (OR 0.40, p<0.001). Of all PCPs, women felt that GYNs best informed them about their procedure (OR 12.5, p=0.005). Subjects with a relationship for 10 years or greater with their doctor were 43% more likely to be adequately informed (OR 1.43, p=0.00). Conclusion: Despite the time devoted by PCPs patients, particularly women, are least likely to feel informed about the CRCS process. With the increasing efforts to improve CRCS compliance, strategies must be developed to prompt PCPs to discuss the CRCS process with their patients.