Diagnostic yield is not influenced by the timing of screening endoscopy: morning versus afternoon

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown the colonoscopy quality affected by the endoscopist's fatigue. This study was aimed to evaluate this potential factor in a colorectal cancer-screening cohort of Chinese patients. METHODS: The attendances at department of gastroenterology for colorectal cancer screening between 2013 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The procedure time-of-day and hours elapse were recorded. The primary outcome was defined as adenoma detection rate (ADR). RESULTS: A total of 1342 screening colonoscopies were performed by 19 gastroenterologists in the study. Detection rates were 7.7% for all polyps and 20.0% for adenomas. Time-of-day was not significantly associated with ADR. With time elapsing, the first climax for ADR was presented at 09:00-10:00, and persistently rose again after the lunch break. Significant inclined trend in ADR was noted for each hour blocks of a full day (p = .0021). CONCLUSIONS: The procedure time-of-day, morning versus afternoon, did not affect the diagnostic efficacy of screening endoscopy in Chinese patients.