Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Patients who schedule their colonoscopy for the morning are more likely to have their potentially cancer-causing polyps detected than those who set up afternoon appointments for colonoscopies, according to a Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic study.

Researchers pored over data from more than 3,600 colonoscopies performed at their center and found that the polyp detection rate was higher in the mornings. Specifically, polyps were found in 29 percent of patients who had procedures in the morning compared to 25 percent of patients who had their colonoscopies in the afternoon. Evidence also indicated that detection rates declined in the afternoons.

Researchers say it is unclear why patients who have the procedure in the morning are more likely to have their polyps detected; however, one theory is that physicians may be less attentive or less vigilant in the afternoons than they are in the mornings. Another factor is that men, older patients, and patients with a history of polyps were more likely to have their procedures in the mornings. Those factors could likely have skewed the data, they say.

What the data does indicate is that the notion should be investigated more, researchers add. If physician fatigue does appear to contribute to fewer polyps being detected, then clinics may make changes in how colonoscopies are scheduled, with fewer in the afternoons or as the day progresses.

Source: Reuters

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