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For Healthcare Providers

About the Colonoscopy Companion project and how to use it in your practice

Project Overview

Colonoscopy Companion is a free, web-based patient education tool designed to replace outdated paper handouts with interactive, evidence-based content for colonoscopy preparation.

Patients receive a link to colonoscopycompanion.ca and can access preparation instructions, educational content, and self-assessment tools from any device. The site is a progressive web app (PWA) that can be installed on a phone and works offline after first load.

What Makes This Different From a Handout

  • Interactive prep checklists with progress tracking
  • Personalized countdown timer to procedure day
  • Visual bowel prep quality scale
  • Questions-for-your-doctor printable checklist
  • Anxiety management resources
  • Mobile-friendly PWA (installable, offline-capable)
  • Evidence-based content from CAG and BC Cancer guidelines

Proposed QI Study Design

A quality improvement study evaluating web-based patient education for colonoscopy preparation compared to standard paper-based education.

Target population: Patients undergoing their 2nd or subsequent colonoscopy who previously received non-web-based education only
Intervention: Provide colonoscopycompanion.ca link via appointment confirmation text or email
Comparator: Prior colonoscopy experience with standard paper handout (historical self-control)
Outcomes: Patient-reported prep confidence, prep quality scores, checklist engagement, and feedback ratings

How to Disseminate

  • QR code: Available at /qr/qr-basic.svg
  • Direct URL: colonoscopycompanion.ca
  • Can be included in appointment confirmation text or email
  • Printable patient card available for clinic distribution

Metrics We Track

GA4 analytics are configured to capture the following engagement data:

Page views
Time on page
Checklist completion rates
Prep score selections
FAQ engagement
Feedback submissions

Future Directions

  • Multilingual support
  • EMR integration
  • Expansion to other GI conditions (GI Companion platform already in development)
  • Post-procedure outcome tracking

Created by a gastroenterology fellow at the University of British Columbia