Quality Assessment of Colonoscopies Performed by Resident Physicians in Colorectal Surgery

Abstract Introduction Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant neoplasm worldwide, with ∼ 150 thousand new cases each year. Screening policies have brought significant progress due to the possibility of early diagnosis and polyp resection. Therefore, there is a need for continuous evaluation of the quality of colonoscopies based on well-established criteria in the literature. Materials and Methods The present retrospective study assesses the quality of colonoscopies performed at a tertiary hospital, comparing resident physicians with their preceptors. A total of 422 preceptor exams and 115 resident exams were evaluated, with a comparison of the adenoma detection rate, cecal intubation rate, examination time, and bowel preparation quality. Results The adenoma detection rate in the exams performed by preceptors was of 46.9%, while in those performed by residents, it was of 35.2% ( p = 0.038). The cecal intubation rate was of 98.6% in the preceptor group and of 94.8% in the resident group ( p = 0.025). The median total examination time was of 13 minutes and 42 seconds in the preceptor group and of 19 minutes and 22 seconds in the resident group ( p