{"title":"Risk of total metachronous advanced neoplasia after detection of proximal hyperplastic polyps, adenomas, and their combination.","authors":"Widad Safih, Daniel von Renteln, Ioana Popescu Crainic, Claire Haumesser, Brandon Noyon, Firas Mubaid, Heiko Pohl, Chakib Yahia Rekkabi, Paola Marques, Yi-Fan Lin, Roupen Djinbachian","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf013","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and study aims: </strong>Recent research has identified an association between proximal sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) and an increased risk of advanced metachronous neoplasia (TMAN), with no significant impact from distal SSL. This study aimed to assess the risk of TMAN at follow-up colonoscopy after detecting proximal hyperplastic polyps (HP), adenomas, or their combination at the initial colonoscopy.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Medical records from patients who underwent colonoscopies in 2014 and 2015 were reviewed. The primary outcome was the presence of TMAN (advanced adenomas or high-risk SSL) at follow-up, based on the presence of proximal HP, adenomas, or their combination during the index colonoscopy.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of 2014 patients screened, 764 were included in the final analysis (44.1% male; mean age 63 years; median follow-up of 3.46 years). Patients with both proximal HPs and adenomas during the initial colonoscopy had a significantly higher risk of developing TMAN compared with patients with adenomas and distal HP or adenomas alone (30.5% vs 19%; HR = 1.87; 95% CI, 1.3-2.7). Additionally, a combination of proximal HPs and adenomas posed a higher risk of TMAN than proximal HP alone (30.5% vs 13.9%; HR = 3.6; 95% CI, 1.4-9.5). No significant difference in TMAN risk was observed between patients with adenomas alone versus proximal HP (19.1% vs 13.9%; HR = 1.8; 95% CI, 0.73-4.4).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The presence of both proximal HPs and adenomas significantly increases the risk of TMAN compared with adenomas or HPs alone, highlighting the need for further studies to evaluate the effect of these variables on postcolonoscopy CRC.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 4","pages":"142-148"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400999/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144992796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael A Scaffidi, Kareem Khalaf, Katarzyna M Pawlak, Deiya Chopra, Daniel Tham, Caleb Na, Ahmed H Mokhtar, Sharan B Malipatil, Yusuke Fujiyoshi, Nikko Gimpaya, Reza Gholami, Brian P H Chan, Elaine T Yeung, Nauzer Forbes, Daniel J Low, Natalia C Calo, Jeffrey D Mosko, Gary R May, Samir C Grover
{"title":"Factors affecting technical success of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatographic outcomes in patients with surgically altered foregut anatomy: a retrospective study.","authors":"Michael A Scaffidi, Kareem Khalaf, Katarzyna M Pawlak, Deiya Chopra, Daniel Tham, Caleb Na, Ahmed H Mokhtar, Sharan B Malipatil, Yusuke Fujiyoshi, Nikko Gimpaya, Reza Gholami, Brian P H Chan, Elaine T Yeung, Nauzer Forbes, Daniel J Low, Natalia C Calo, Jeffrey D Mosko, Gary R May, Samir C Grover","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf010","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Patients with surgically altered gastrointestinal anatomy undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) pose challenges due to anatomical distortions. Various patient and endoscopic factors, such as sex and positioning, may impact procedural success. It is unclear how these factors may impact the technical success of ERCP among patients with altered anatomy.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>We aimed to determine the patient and endoscopic factors that were associated with technical success of ERCP.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective single-centre study using data from 2010 to 2020 that included patients with hepaticojejunostomy, Roux-en-Y anastomosis, Billroth-1, or Billroth-2 anatomy at a single tertiary care centre in Toronto, Canada. We extracted data from a database. The primary outcome was technical success of the ERCP, defined as successful navigation to the papilla or surgical anastomosis, selective cannulation and cholangiography or pancreatography. Penalized logistic regression with elastic net regularization was used to identify significant predictors of technical success. Effect size was odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. The model was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) metric.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, there were 205 patients included in the analysis. In the multivariate analysis, the most significant contributors to predicting technical success of ERCP were expert endoscopic experience and non-Roux-en Y anatomy. The elastic net model demonstrated moderate predictive performance, with an AUC of 0.656.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings emphasize the importance of tailored procedural planning to optimize ERCP success in patients with altered anatomy.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 4","pages":"136-141"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400998/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144992814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancing patient-led research and establishing a national IBD patient partner network in Canada: a call to action.","authors":"Pranshu Maini, Claudia Tersigni, Samantha Micsinszki, Kate Murray, Brooke Allemang, Karen Frost, Eileen Crowley","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf014","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf014","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 4","pages":"117-119"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400996/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144992827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nasruddin Sabrie, Sonya Vukovic, Xin You, Surain Roberts, Fahad Razak, Amol A Verma, Laura E Targownik
{"title":"Evaluating the process of care for persons admitted to Toronto area hospitals with acute severe ulcerative colitis.","authors":"Nasruddin Sabrie, Sonya Vukovic, Xin You, Surain Roberts, Fahad Razak, Amol A Verma, Laura E Targownik","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf009","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) is associated with significant morbidity. In patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), the estimated lifetime risk of developing severe colitis is 25%. Several gastrointestinal societies have provided recommendations on pathways of care for managing ASUC. The degree to which they are adhered to in different care settings remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective review using data from 7 acute-care hospitals collected through the general medicine inpatient initiative (GEMINI), a hospital research collaborative that collects administrative and clinical data from hospital information systems. We identified all patients with the most responsible inpatient discharge diagnosis of ulcerative colitis between April 2015 and December 2019. The primary outcome was the difference in hospital length of stay of patients admitted with ASUC based on hospital-type; community, academic, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-focussed sites.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>765 eligible patients were identified between April 2015 and December 2019. The mean hospital length of stay was 9.21 days for the academic sites, 6.94 days for the community sites, and 8.03 for the IBD specialty centre (<i>P</i> = .094). Adverse events were uncommon overall. In our multiple logistic regression analysis, we identified that admission to an IBD-focussed centre compared to an academic centre, carried an odds ratio of 2.07 (95% CI, 1.16-3.78) for the outcome of inpatient-colectomy.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The processes of care for patients with ASUC varied on the basis of the type of hospital they were admitted to, with the IBD specialty centre providing the most guideline adherent care. Low-cost interventions should be utilized to promote adherence to clinical practice recommendations.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 4","pages":"120-127"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12401000/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144992854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Assessing the socioeconomic burden in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease-a survey of families and national providers.","authors":"Tejas S Desai, Jesse Batara, Matthew W Carroll","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf007","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Despite rapidly rising rates of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), literature exploring the financial burden on families of children with IBD remains limited. This study sought to better understand the socioeconomic burden of pediatric IBD on families at our institution and compare IBD provider practices and perceptions across the country.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two separate electronic surveys exploring demographics, financial impacts of an IBD diagnosis, and perceptions around IBD care were developed for patient families and IBD providers respectively. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis took place to assess survey responses. Thematic analysis was also undertaken to qualitatively assess family survey comments.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Patient survey results (<i>N</i> = 69) indicated missed time off work and school and dietary therapy costs as considerable burdens on families. Nearly 60% of respondents also reported significant mental health impacts on the family. Provider data (<i>N</i> = 18) suggests some variability in clinical practice, allied health support, and financial support for families. However, providers almost universally recognize the financial, mental health, and employment impacts on families as significant socioeconomic burdens on families.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This is the first study in Canada to directly explore national provider practices and the socioeconomic burden on families of children with IBD. Results indicate a good correlation between provider awareness and the increased financial burden on families but suggest ongoing care gaps to address impacts on employment, mental health, and out-of-pocket costs. This data suggests that various quality improvement opportunities for research and advocacy exist to better support families, both locally and beyond.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 4","pages":"128-135"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12400997/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144992840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Do the new ACG <i>Helicobacter pylori</i> treatment guidelines have implications for Canada?","authors":"Sander Veldhuyzen van Zanten, Thomas Krahn","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf008","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf008","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 3","pages":"85-88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12201999/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144506112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Davide De Marco, Valerie Heron, Alain Bitton, Talat Bessissow, Peter Lakatos, Gary Wild, Waqqas Afif
{"title":"Assessing the role of ustekinumab dose escalation in Crohn's disease patients with loss of response: an observational study.","authors":"Davide De Marco, Valerie Heron, Alain Bitton, Talat Bessissow, Peter Lakatos, Gary Wild, Waqqas Afif","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf001","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/aims: </strong>Among Crohn's disease patients with loss of response or non-response to ustekinumab (UST), there remains no clear strategy for dose escalation. Moreover, clinical associations and the role of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) are poorly understood. This study assessed response to escalation of UST therapy via increased dosing frequency or re-induction, as well as assessed associations of response.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A single-centre retrospective cohort study was performed. Adults who underwent dose escalation to every 4 weeks or reinduction of UST were included. The primary outcome was clinical and biochemical remission which was defined as a Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) of <5 and a C-reactive protein (CRP) level within the normal limit or a Fecal Calprotectin (FCP) level <250 ug/g. Partial response to treatment was defined as a 50% decrease from baseline HBI, CRP, or FCP.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty-nine patients were included. Clinical outcomes were assessed at a median of 17 weeks (IQR 12-21). Clinical and biochemical remission was achieved in 30.8% of patients (<i>n</i> = 12). Remission was found to be more likely among patients with lower baseline HBI (5.2 vs 9.0 <i>P</i> = .044) and younger patients (29.8 years vs 37.7 <i>P</i> = .046). No association was observed between baseline TDM values in the remission vs the non-remission group (3.32 ug/mL vs 2.91 ug/mL p=0.77). No severe adverse events were recorded.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>UST dose escalation, in the form of reinduction or increased frequency to every 4 weeks may be effective among patients with loss of response or partial response, though predictors of response and strategy of escalation remain unclear.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 3","pages":"97-102"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12192420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
David Klassen, Winson Y Cheung, Angeline Letendre, Lea Bill, Bonnie A Healy, Chinmoy Roy Rahul, Karen A Kopciuk, Huiming Yang
{"title":"Assessing colorectal cancer screening and outcomes among First Nations people in Alberta.","authors":"David Klassen, Winson Y Cheung, Angeline Letendre, Lea Bill, Bonnie A Healy, Chinmoy Roy Rahul, Karen A Kopciuk, Huiming Yang","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf004","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>First Nations (FN) people in Canada are commonly diagnosed with colorectal cancers. Although Canada has treaty responsibilities to ensure FNs people have equitable access to quality health services, access to colorectal cancer screening in Canada by FNs people has not been fully assessed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The objectives of our retrospective population-level study that linked multiple administrative databases were to investigate differences in colorectal cancer screening rates: participation, retention, positivity, follow-up colonoscopy, and invasive colorectal cancer detection, as well as wait times to follow-up colonoscopy, and stages at diagnosis between FNs and non-FNs people in Alberta. All Alberta residents eligible for colorectal cancer screening (aged 50-74) between 2012 and 2018 were included. The study and descriptive methods adhered to FNs principles of ownership, control, access, and possession.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>FNs people were less likely to participate in colorectal cancer screening (lower by 15.9% among women, <i>P</i> < 0.00001, and 17.0% among men; <i>P</i> = 0.0007), and less likely to be retained in the screening program (lower by 11.6%, <i>P</i> = 0.0013, among women and 9.9% %, <i>P</i> = 0.034, among men). They were more likely to screen positive (average difference of 7.0% among women and 7.3%, among men, both <i>P</i> < 0.0002). Invasive colorectal cancer detection rates were higher (3.2/1000) versus (2.3/1000) as were late-stage diagnoses (61% versus 43%, <i>P</i> = <i>P</i> = 0.004) among FNs people than non-FNs people, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Higher invasive colorectal cancer detection rates and more late-stage diagnoses in FNs people can be due to lower participation and retention in colorectal cancer screening programs. Understanding and addressing the reasons for these inequities are needed to improve these outcomes for FNs people.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 3","pages":"103-111"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12190785/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sierra Scodellaro, Kristen A Bortolin, Margaret A Marcon, Ruud H J Verstegen, Susana Da Silva, Shinya Ito, Tamorah Lewis, Nicola L Jones, Iris Cohn, Jessie M Hulst
{"title":"Optimizing proton-pump inhibitor therapy in paediatric eosinophilic esophagitis through <i>CYP2C19</i> pharmacogenetic testing.","authors":"Sierra Scodellaro, Kristen A Bortolin, Margaret A Marcon, Ruud H J Verstegen, Susana Da Silva, Shinya Ito, Tamorah Lewis, Nicola L Jones, Iris Cohn, Jessie M Hulst","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf003","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic inflammatory disorder which can respond to proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). Genetic variation in the <i>CYP2C19</i> metabolism gene influences PPI efficacy and adverse effects. Pharmacogenetic testing (PGx) can predict PPI response by analyzing genetic variation, particularly identifying patients categorized as CYP2C19 rapid or ultra-rapid metabolizers who might benefit from PPI dosage increases or changes to pharmacotherapy. Although PGx clinical practice guidelines have been established for PPI use, routine clinical implementation has been slow.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a non-interventional prospective cohort study of patients followed by a paediatric EoE clinic between 2020 and 2023. Eligible patients underwent <i>CYP2C19</i> PGx testing, with results correlated to PPI use and histological outcomes assessed via endoscopic biopsies.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixty-nine patients underwent PGx testing; 20 (29%) and 5 (7%) were determined to be rapid and ultra-rapid metabolizers, respectively. PGx-based management changes were made in 44 (64%) patients. Forty-three (62%) patients completed reassessment endoscopy, of which 21 (49%) demonstrated histological remission; 17 (40%) of these patients achieved remission after PGx-guided drug changes.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrates that PPI non-response in patients with EoE may partly be due to inadequate PPI dosing in those with rapid or ultra-rapid CYP2C19 metabolizer status. Identifying CYP2C19 metabolizer status in pediatric patients with EoE for first-generation PPIs leads to therapeutic management changes and can improve histological remission rates. Clinicians treating EoE patients should consider routine PGx testing in combination with monitoring clinical factors to guide individualized PPI therapy and optimize dosing.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 3","pages":"89-96"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12188439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aein Zarrin, Jennifer J Telford, Neal Shahidi, Natasha Harris, Cherry Galorport, Robert Enns
{"title":"Validation of the Saint Paul's Endoscopy Comfort Scale (SPECS) for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.","authors":"Aein Zarrin, Jennifer J Telford, Neal Shahidi, Natasha Harris, Cherry Galorport, Robert Enns","doi":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf002","DOIUrl":"10.1093/jcag/gwaf002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Patient comfort is an important predictor of patient satisfaction and a quality indicator in endoscopy. The St. Paul's Endoscopy Comfort Score (SPECS), previously validated for colonoscopy, was assessed for measuring patient comfort during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this prospective cohort study, 3 groups of assessors (gastroenterologists, nurses, and observers) used SPECS and the modified Gloucester Comfort Scale (GS) to measure patients' comfort during outpatient EGD. Patient-reported outcomes were measured using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and satisfaction survey. Descriptive statistics and inter-rater reliability were calculated across the 3 groups for both tools. The correlation between SPECS, GS, and VAS was calculated.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three hundred subjects were included. The mean age was 56.7 years (SD 14.7 years) and 160 (53.3%) were male. Overall, 89.0% (<i>N</i>=267) of subjects received conscious sedation with intravenous midazolam and fentanyl at a mean dose of 3.3 mg (SD 1.6 mg) and 51.4 mcg (SD 29.7 mcg), respectively. The mean total SPECS for physicians, nurses, and observers were 1.3 (SD 1.6), 1.4 (SD 1.7), and 1.7 (SD 1.9), respectively. Amongst the 3 assessors (9 physicians, 5 nurses, and 4 observers), SPECS and GS demonstrated good inter-rater reliability with an intraclass coefficient of 0.71 (95% CI, 0.66-0.76) and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.58-0.69), respectively. SPECS and GS had a mild correlation with VAS.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>SPECS is a reliable assessment tool to measure patient comfort during EGD. SPECS may be used to audit patient comfort at a facility and physician level.</p>","PeriodicalId":17263,"journal":{"name":"Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology","volume":"8 3","pages":"112-114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12187590/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144497419","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}