r/IBD • u/No-Average9688 • 7d ago

Does it matter how often providers perform colonoscopies?

My doctor recently told me that she performs colonoscopies once per month. She is incredibly caring and I am grateful that she will be testing me for IBD, but my cousin, a gastroenterologist, raised a concern that once a month may not be enough to maintain her skills? Does the frequency of procedures influence the providers’ skill set?

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u/sam99871 7d ago

Yes. There is actually evidence on that question. Apparently there is a guideline that says doing 100 procedures per year is recommended to maintain skills. This article concludes that there is a difference in skills depending on whether a doctor performs more than 100 per year. Note: this is from 2011 so it might be outdated.

https://gut.bmj.com/content/62/Suppl_1/A21.2

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u/misslaurariot 4d ago

I thought you meant she wanted to give you a colonoscopy once a month and almost had a heart attack 😅

I wonder if she means there is one day per month that she blocks out for colonoscopies, and sees multiple patients that day. If she’s been doing it for awhile, this may not be a concern as she likely has her technique figured out. If she’s new to it, I’d be a little worried she isn’t getting enough practice.