Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard - Background

Background

The Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard has been endorsed by ten key professional organisations and colleges including the Royal Australian College of Physicians (RACP), the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA), the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ).

The development of the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard was recommended as part of the Safety and Quality Model for Colonoscopy and was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. It was developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary expert Topic Working Group including clinicians and consumers. Implementing clinical care standards helps health service organisations to meet the requirements of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards for accreditation.

Key guidelines

Key evidence sources referred to in the development of this clinical care standard are the Cancer Council Australia Guidelines including:

• Clinical practice guidelines for the prevention, early detection and management of colorectal cancer, 2017.

• Clinical Practice Guidelines for Surveillance Colonoscopy, 2018.

The clinical care standard supports the use of current guidelines for sedation and anaesthesia from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists including:

• Guidelines for the perioperative care of patients selected for day stay procedures (PS 15), 2018. 

• Guidelines on sedation and/or analgesia for diagnostic and interventional medical, dental or surgical procedures (PS 09), 2014.