Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer in men and the third most common in women. It appears in the large intestines in the lining of the colon and rectum. It starts as a small clump of cells known as polyps that grow along the inner lining of the colon. Adults 45 and above are especially at an increased risk and are recommended to be screened every 10 years for colorectal cancer through colonoscopies. They often require arduous preparation night of drinking “prep” , which is a four-liter laxative that works to clean out the colon of the stool, and allows the gastroenterology (GI) endoscopy team to visualize the colon. Poor prep, whether due to poor tolerance of the laxative, or patients with slow GI motility often leads to poor visualization of the colon and a likely recommendation of repeat colonoscopy in 1 year.

Pre-operation, gastroenterologists find that patients often prepare for their colonoscopies inadequately which leads to the improper removal of stool and thus, inadequate diagnostic yield for a colonoscopy. Nearly 25 percent of all colonoscopies are considered "inadequate" due to poor patient preparation.

Our task is to ensure that prospective patients are satisfactorily prepped by giving clear preparation instruction, thus making colonoscopy preparation a less arduous task and eventually ensuring proper diagnostic yield.