P0235 - Increasing Gastroenterology Follow-Up and Colonoscopy Completion for Patients With Initial and Complicated Episodes of Diverticulitis: A Quality Improvement Project

Alexander Garcia, DO¹, Avneet Singh, DO¹, Robert Kim, DO¹, Mahir Qureshi, MD¹, Krystal Hunter, PhD, MBA², Rachel Redfield, MD³, Ishita Dhawan, MD⁴, Krysta Contino, MD^5
1Cooper University Hospital, Camden, NJ; ²Cooper University Health Care, Camden, NJ; ³MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC; ⁴Cooper Health Gastroenterology, Camden, NJ; ⁵Digestive Health Institute at Cooper University Hospital, Mount Laurel, NJ

Introduction: An estimated 2.5 million people are affected by diverticulitis in the United States. To assess for underlying malignancy, guidelines recommend patients with an initial episode or complicated diverticulitis undergo a colonoscopy 6-8 weeks after diagnosis and treatment. Our quality improvement (QI) project aims to increase post-discharge gastroenterology evaluation and colonoscopy completion rates in patients with first episode and complicated diverticulitis.

Methods: Our project was divided into three phases. In phase 1, we assessed for post-discharge GI evaluation and colonoscopy completion rates in patients discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of diverticulitis between January 2022 and July 2022. A cohort of 143 patients were selected for analysis. Phase 2, our intervention phase, will include physician education and implementation of a best practice advisory (BPA). Finally, in phase 3 we will reassess rates of GI follow-up and colonoscopy completion to determine if our interventions were successful.

Results: A total of 143 patient charts were reviewed. Females exceeded male patients in number and the mean ages were 63.61 (±) 14.72 and 56.47 (±) 11.64, respectively. In this cohort, 54.8 % presented with their first diverticulitis flare, while 22.2 % and 23 % had one and two or more previous flares, respectively. Hispanic patients (52.2 %) had the highest percentage of complications, compared to Blacks (30.4 %) and Whites (35.6 %). Upon discharge, 85/143 (58 %) of the patients were provided follow-up information. For the patients provided with follow-up information, 55/85 (64.7 %) were evaluated by a gastroenterologist 6-8 weeks post-discharge, and 48/85 (56.47 %) completed colonoscopies within one year.

Discussion: Our project revealed multiple deficiencies in both GI evaluation and follow-up colonoscopy in post-diverticulitis patients. In the second phase of our project, we will implement BPA alerts and provide education to help facilitate the completion of screening colonoscopies.


Disclosures:


Alexander Garcia, DO¹, Avneet Singh, DO¹, Robert Kim, DO¹, Mahir Qureshi, MD¹, Krystal Hunter, PhD, MBA², Rachel Redfield, MD³, Ishita Dhawan, MD⁴, Krysta Contino, MD⁵. P0235 - Increasing Gastroenterology Follow-Up and Colonoscopy Completion for Patients With Initial and Complicated Episodes of Diverticulitis: A Quality Improvement Project, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.