Quality Standards for Gastroscopy in Ireland

Abstract

I read with great interest the article in the April edition of the IMJ titled "An audit cycle of compliance to European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) Recommendations for Photo-Documentation in Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy" by Jeffrey et al. The authors reviewed 1,026 gastroscopies and found compliance with ESGE’s eight-site photo documentation guideline rose from 9% to 19% following an educational intervention. This improvement is encouraging, but the fact that 81% of procedures still fell short remains concerning.

These findings reflect national trends. Alquraishi et al found only 3 of 99 gastroscopies compliant. Burke et al observed 2% compliance among 180 consecutive procedures. McIntyre et al reported 11% compliance overall and 33% for procedures performed for dysphagia. Fatima et al found 0% baseline compliance, improving to 66% post-intervention. Similar patterns were noted by Khan et al and O’Brien et al. All of these audits were conducted in Irish hospitals.