RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Screening Colonoscopies by Primary Care Physicians: A Meta-Analysis
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 56
OP 62
DO 10.1370/afm.939
VO 7
IS 1
A1 Thad Wilkins
A1 Bruce LeClair
A1 Mark Smolkin
A1 Kathy Davies
A1 Andria Thomas
A1 Marcia L. Taylor
A1 Scott Strayer
YR 2009
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/7/1/56.abstract
AB PURPOSE There is currently too few endoscopists to enact a national colorectal cancer screening program with colonoscopy. Primary care physicians could play an important role in filling this shortage by offering screening colonoscopy in their practice. The purpose of this study was to examine the safety and effectiveness of colonoscopies performed by primary care physicians. METHODS We identified relevant articles through searches of MEDLINE and EMBASE bibliographic databases to December 2007 and through manual searches of bibliographies of each citation. We found 590 articles, 12 of which met inclusion criteria. Two authors independently abstracted data on study and patient characteristics. Descriptive statistics were performed. For each outcome measure, a random effects model was used to determine estimated means and confidence intervals. RESULTS We analyzed 12 studies of colonoscopies performed by primary care physicians, which included 18,292 patients (mean age 59 years, 50.5% women). The mean estimated adenoma and adenocarcinoma detection rates were 28.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 20.4%–39.3%) and 1.7% (95% CI, 0.9%–3.0%), respectively. The mean estimated reach-the-cecum rate was 89.2% (95% CI, 80.1%–94.4%). The major complication rate was 0.04% (95% CI, 0.01%–0.07%); no deaths were reported. CONCLUSIONS Colonoscopies performed by primary care physicians have quality, safety, and efficacy indicators that are comparable to those recommended by the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the American College of Gastroenterology, and the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. Based on these results, colonoscopy screening by primary care physicians appears to be safe and effective.