Inpatient Endoscopy Procedure Planning Delays and Impact on Length of Stay and 30-day Readmission

Background: Delays in inpatient endoscopy planning negatively influence the quality and accessibility of care. This may result in higher healthcare costs, negative health outcomes, and unnecessary readmissions and use of hospital beds. Additionally, prolonged hospital stay is associated with poorer health outcomes and risk of nosocomial infections, amongst others.

Objective: To asses factors associated with inpatient endoscopy delays and impact on length of stay and 30-day readmission

Study design: Single center retrospective cohort study of all inpatient endoscopy procedures (gastroscopy, colonoscopy, ERCP, sigmoidoscopy) during 2016-2022. Data will be identified and extracted using CTCue. Only pseudonymized data will be used. Inpatient endoscopy delay will be defined as the number of days between the planned date versus the actual date. Multivariable logistic regression models will be performed to assess factors associated with inpatient endoscopy delay.

Inclusion criteria

• Adult patients (>18 years)
• Clinical admission in any hospital department of at least two days during 1 January 2016 and 1 December 2022
• Endoscopic procedure during clinical admission, including gastroscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), flexible sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy

Exclusion criteria

• Elective admission
• Procedure only for insertion of nasogastric or nasojejunal (feeding) tube without any other diagnostic or therapeutic aims