Govert Veldhuijzen

45 CAI before colonoscopy is as effective as nurse counselling, a clinical pilot trial Table 3. Secondary Outcomes: Comfort, Anxiety and Knowledge and Comprehension Nurse counselling (n, % scoring rate) Computer Assisted Instruction (n, % scoring rate) Nurse versus Computer Assisted Instruction (Mann- Whitney) Comfort Score after consult/CAI (T1) (1=very low, 5=very high) Mean 4.54, ± 0.56 (n=193, 98.0%) Mean 4.17, ± 0.51 (n=188, 100%) p = 0.000 Comfort Score before endoscopy (T2) (1=very low, 5=very high) Mean 4.29, ± 0.62 (n=162, 82.2%) Mean 4.42, ± 0.68 (n=124, 66.0%) p = 0.039 Comfort Score after endoscopy (T3) (1=very low, 5=very high) Mean 4.16, ± 0.93 (n=150, 76.1%) Mean 4.28, ± 0.84 (n=117, 62.2%) P = 0.322 Anxiety Score after consult/CAI (T1) (5=very low, 1=very high) Mean 3.16, ± 1.30 (n=193, 98.0%) Mean 2.92, ± 1.22 (n=188, 100%) p = 0.071 Anxiety Score before endoscopy (T2) (5=very low, 1=very high) Mean 2.80, ± 1.32 (n=162, 82.2%) Mean 2.90, ± 1.27 (n=124, 66.0%) p = 0.451 Knowledge and Comprehension 10 item test score before endoscopy Mean 7.08, ± 1.17 (n=164, 83.2%) Mean 7.31, ± 1.11 (n=127, 67.6%) p = 0.112 DISCUSSION The present study shows that computer assisted instruction (CAI) before colonoscopy results in well prepared colons, comparable to face-to-face nurse counselling. We found that patients who were informed through CAI achieved higher grades of comfort. Interestingly, at baseline this rating is higher in the nurse counselling group, suggesting the influence of the human factor. Current research on patient education in colonoscopy has been focused on the use of leaflets, video, phone intervention and nurse or physician counselling sessions. 3,9-13 In this era of information technology with internet, social media and open access sources, computers are anchored in the seeking and gathering behaviour by patients for medical instructions as it is fast, easy to use and ubiquitously accessible. The threat is that its information may be experienced as incomprehensible, insufficient and even incorrect. CAI, as provided by the endoscopy unit, has the potential to combine the upsides of the above tools without the drawbacks such as passive learning. 21 2