Screening colonoscopies have been credited with turning the tide against colorectal cancer—the second leading cause of death in the United States—with early prevention and treatment. Yet barriers, from patient fears to cultural influences, keep many Americans from undergoing the potentially lifesaving procedure. Even when screening colonoscopies are scheduled, no shows and cancellations are common. Some 10 percent of Northwestern Medicine’s scheduled patients change their minds at the last minute and never make it to their appointments. Not only do patients miss out on this effective preventive health screening but they also contribute to wasted healthcare resources due to unfilled endoscopy appointments. Patient education remains critical to convincing individuals of the importance of colon cancer screening. In most busy clinical practices, though, healthcare practitioners often can’t devote the necessary time to the topic. Given the constraints of the current patient-primary care provider relationship, novel methods for delivering this vital information are needed to improve screening rates across the nation. Patient portals have fast become a standard feature of many electronic health records (EHRs) systems. Allowing patients to schedule appointments, access test results and communicate with their doctors, EHRs can present an alternative channel for patient education materials. Northwestern Medicine investigators have already shown that the use of patient portals for educating patients on the importance of pneumonia vaccinations works. Patients who viewed a video on the subject were significantly more likely, than those who didn’t, to agree to being vaccinated. Thanks to a grant from the Digestive Health Foundation, researchers led by Rajesh N. Keswani, MD, Director of Quality for the Digestive Health Center, will apply the novel patient portal...
Principal Investigator: Amanda Guentner, MD No one wants to hear the “C” word. Even the slightest hint of a cancer risk is, understandably, frightening—even when all signs point to a positive outcome. Chronic regurgitation of stomach acid can damage the esophagus and eventually lead to a condition known as Barrett’s esophagus (BE). Patients with BE are at risk for esophageal adenocarcinoma (cancer of the esophagus), which strikes about 3 to 4 Americans out of 100,000 each year. While a variety of advanced treatments such as endoscopic eradication therapy (EET) help to prevent cancer well before it ever starts, many patients overestimate their cancer risk. Being referred for treatment appears to further ramp up their anxiety. Despite patient education prior to and after EET, individuals facing a series of treatments often forget what they may have been told about their diagnosis, cancer risk and/or short- and long-term prognosis. This perceived lack of information, which has been linked to overall patient satisfaction, often pushes them over the top. Supported by the Digestive Health Foundation, researchers in Northwestern Medicine’s Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology are evaluating the use of multimedia to enhance the patient experience pre- and post-EET therapy. Recent studies have shown them to be successful with patients who’ve undergone general and orthopaedic surgical procedures. The investigators plan to create an educational video for patients undergoing EET for Barrett’s esophagus through Northwestern’s Digestive Health Center and measure its impact on reducing patient anxiety. Led by GI fellow Amanda Guentner, MD, the team will produce a short video to reinforce the information patients typically receive during face-to-face consultations with their gastroenterologist and/or...
