Digital Health as a partner in colonoscopy preparation

by Patricia Domínguez, July 16, 2025

Preparation for a colonoscopy is a detailed process that includes various instructions about diet, use of laxatives, and treatment modifications, which the patient must follow meticulously over a specific time period in order to achieve proper cleansing of the colon. Patients often have questions, making it difficult to carry out the directions appropriately, resulting in insufficient cleansing. This affects the quality of the procedure, or even its completion, requiring it to be repeated.

In as many as 25% of colonoscopies, colon preparation is considered inadequate, resulting in up to one third of all procedures being incomplete and preventing up to 10% of examinations. This leads to delays in diagnosis and an increased risk. In turn, this causes an overload in endoscopy units and higher economic costs, as the cost of colonoscopy increases by 12–22%. This was documented in the AEG-SEEG Work Group’s Guide to Quality Clinical Practice in Colonoscopy Screening for Colorectal Cancer.

Because of this, it is especially necessary to offer the patient clear information and instructions that encourage correct preparation, allowing the proper completion of a quality procedure.

In order to achieve this, Digital Health becomes a significant partner, offering the patient the support that can centralize all the information about the preparation, providing the instructions at the time in which they need to be completed, thus encouraging compliance with the guidelines. In the same way, after the procedure, it carries out continuous monitoring of the patient, enabling the provider to evaluate the patient’s status and determine whether the patient has experienced any event and/or symptoms. In this context, Digital Health enables the following:

- Centralization of information in one place
- Guidance and support during the preparation
- Resolution of common patient doubts and questions
- Encouragement of correct patient preparation
- Collection of possible events after the procedure
- Improvement of the healthcare process, making it more efficient

One example of this is the application of colonoscopy process monitoring that has been implemented at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. This was developed by the Gastroenterology Department team at that center, led by Dr. Francesc Balaguer in collaboration with Persei vivarium. This solution is offered to those patients who have been referred for colonoscopy, with the goal of facilitating their preparation and optimizing the healthcare process, as well as improving patient satisfaction with the entire procedure.

As we have seen, proper preparation for a colonoscopy is crucial for assuring the completion and quality of the procedure, favoring a correct diagnosis and a reduction in patient risk. To achieve this, it is vital to offer instructions that are clear and are received at the appropriate time, reducing questions and uncertainty. Digital Health is helping to achieve this, facilitating the patient’s preparation, and helping the healthcare professional to carry out continuous monitoring, optimizing the process and making it more efficient. Examples like the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona demonstrate the value that these solutions provide, as well as the need to extend their use to other diagnostic procedures, harnessing their potential over the long term.