For clinicians – the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard
Information for clinicians about the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard.
What do clinicians need to know?
The Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard includes nine quality statements and four indicators.
Read the quality statements, or download the clinician fact sheet (1 page) or the full Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard (33 pages).
Credentialing, certification and re-certification of colonoscopists
Certification (of training) and recertification (of ongoing competency) in adult colonoscopy are now mandatory for all practitioners working in health service organisations being assessed to the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards (second edition). Download the following fact sheet for information for clinicians on certification and re-certification.
Informed consent for colonoscopy
Quality statement 3 in the clinical care standard states that a patient should receive adequate information and provide informed consent before starting bowel preparation. Find out what informed consent means for colonoscopists.
Templates for referral, reporting and follow-up letters
Templates have been developed to assist clinicians to draft referral, reporting and follow-up letters.
What indicators are used for quality improvement?
A set of indicators has been developed to assist with local implementation of the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard. These indicators align with the performance indicators for certification and recertification developed by the Conjoint Committee for the Recognition of Training in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (CCRTGE) and the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA), and can be used for quality assurance.
Webinars for health professionals
The Commission has conducted a number of webinars to promote the use of the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard and highlight resources developed by the Commission to help with implementation.
User Guide for the Review of Clinical Variation in Health Care
The Commission has developed a NSQHS Standards User Guide for the Review of Clinical Variation in Health Care to support health service organisations implement Action 1.28 of the NSQHS Standards. The user guide explains how health services can work with their clinicians and use data to improve the appropriateness of clinical care. It describes six key steps for implementing Action 1.28, includes practical case studies and provides a wide range of resources to support health services review clinical variation.
How was the clinical care standard developed?
The Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard was developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary expert Topic Working Group including clinicians and consumers. It has been endorsed by 10 key professional organisations and colleges including the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP), Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA), the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ).
Other resources
Posters
Resources for consumers
Consumer video – what you need to know before you have a colonoscopy
Interview with Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan, gastroenterologist
Resources for Assessors
Assessor video – what you need to know about the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard
Additional resources
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
Find cancer data for Australia and view colorectal cancers by age, incidence and mortality rates, survival and prevalence.
- NationalBowel Cancer Screening Program
Information about colonoscopy, including videos, Q&A and guidelines.
- NationalBowel Cancer Screening Program
Find more information including Q&A, videos, guidelines and online tools.
- Ask Share Know
A useful resource to understand bowel cancer and if you are at high risk, with decision tools and information.
- Agency for Clinical Innovation
A useful resource for triaging patients for colonoscopy: NSW colonoscopy categorisation (PDF).
More information
If you have any questions about the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard please email ccs@safetyandquality.gov.au.