Endoscopy

Our Endoscopy Service diagnoses and treats problems affecting the digestive system. We care for patients with:

• reflux and/or heartburn
• swallowing difficulties
• Barrett’s oesophagus
• coeliac disease
• iron deficiency
• food intolerances
• liver disease
• Crohn’s disease
• ulcerative colitis (inflammatory bowel disease)
• bowel cancer screening and ongoing surveillance
• irritable bowel conditions
• post-cancer checks
• bleeding
• abdominal pain.

What is an endoscopic procedure?

An endoscopic procedure is when the doctor uses an instrument called an endoscope to look at the inside lining of your oesophagus (food pipe), stomach and duodenum (first part of the small intestine) and/or the colon (lining of your bowel). Common names for these procedures are endoscopy, upper GI endoscopy, gastroscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy.

Our services

The unit provides diagnosis and relevant treatment options for General Surgery, Gastroenterology, Bowel Cancer Screening and Hepatology services. We perform the following procedures:

• endoscopy and advanced endoscopy including endoscopic ultrasound
• colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy
• oesophageal manometry and oesophageal physiology (specialist referral only).

How to access this service

To access this service, your GP or medical practitioner will need to send a referral letter to the hospital.

If there is a waiting list, you will receive a confirmation letter and be advised on what to do next. If there is no waiting list, you will receive an appointment booking letter or we will contact you to arrange a suitable time for your appointment. To assist with providing a timely procedure, you may be contacted by the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS), located at the RBWH Herston Campus. The Prince Charles Hospital has an Endoscopy Procedure Room at STARS where doctors from The Prince Charles Hospital also operate; therefore, your procedure may be booked at this facility.

If your condition changes or you are concerned about your health before the date of your appointment, please contact your GP.

Please advise your healthcare professional if you require interpreter services during your clinic appointment or procedure.

Declining your appointment

Patients who decline the offer of an appointment date on two occasions will be deemed to have declined treatment. A patient will be removed from the Endoscopy Service waiting list if they decline a second appointment date or fail to arrive for a second confirmed appointment date. Please make sure you tell the hospital of any changes to your contact details including current home address and phone/mobile numbers.

After your hospital appointment

Your doctor may advise that you require surgery. If this is the case you will be placed on a surgical waiting list and may need to attend the Pre-admission Clinic before your surgery.

Appointment waiting times

Please allow 5 hours for your appointment. While we aim to keep appointments running on time, some unavoidable delays can change your appointment time. If you believe you have been waiting for too long, please notify the receptionist or nursing staff.

Before your procedure

The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care released the Colonoscopy Clinical Care Standard which sets out the important information and care you can expect to receive before during and after your colonoscopy.

Prior to proceeding to colonoscopy, you may be required to attend Colonoscopy Consent Clinic or a National Bowel Cancer Screening Clinic with one of our experienced nurses who will complete a health assessment, and provide information and support regarding the bowel preparation and your procedure.  This health assessment may take place over the telephone or in a face-to-face clinic. You may also receive a call from one of our pharmacists.

Each appointment will take approximately 30 minutes.  To assist with a smooth appointment, we ask that you:

• Read the information sent to you regarding the clinic appointment and have it handy at the time of the appointment.
  • Watch the videos that will provide information that will assist with the bowel preparation and consent process.
  • Access additional resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients.
• Have a list of your current medications.
• Know your height and weight.

How to prepare

Nominate a contact person

• If you are having a sedative or an anaesthetic, you will need to provide the name and contact phone number of a responsible adult who can collect you after your appointment. If this is not arranged, your procedure will be cancelled. You can expect to be in the unit for about 3-5 hours.
• You will also need to ensure arrangements have been made for a responsible adult to remain with you overnight. If you plan to have an anaesthetic and have not arranged a supportive adult, your procedure will be cancelled.

Follow pre-procedure and bowel prep instructions

Pre-procedure instructions

• If you are having a colonoscopy, please ensure you follow the pre-procedure bowel preparation instructions.
  (These instructions may vary slightly from the instructions provided to you by your health professional.)

Bowel prep order and instructions

• You will be provided with individualised instructions for your bowel preparation, including times and quantities and this is specific to your appointment time. IMPORTANT – please closely follow the instructions provided to you by your health professional – not the instructions provided in the bowel preparation kit.
• Your bowel prep order can be collected free of charge from The Prince Charles Hospital pharmacy on the Ground Floor of the Main Building. Please note, there may be a 30 – 60 minute wait.

Example of TPCH Colonoscopy Bowel Preparation Order form

• Alternatively, you can take the Colonoscopy Bowel Preparation Order form, that we will provide you with, to your local community Pharmacy where your bowel prep order can be purchased for approximately $20-$30/kit and $4/sachet.
• Please note, fasting is when you consume no food or drinks including water. This also includes chewing gum and lollies.
• Do not drink alcohol, avoid smoking and stop recreational drugs 24 hours before the procedure.
• Complete the patient history form and the hospital registration form.
• Please advise the Endoscopy Service if there is any possibility of pregnancy.
• If you are planning international travel soon after your procedure appointment, please contact the Endoscopy unit to discuss prior to your procedure.

Medications

• Please seek advice from your doctor if you have diabetes, take warfarin or any other blood thinning medication. Do not stop taking this medication unless advised to do so.
• Please stop taking fish or krill oil supplements 7 days before any procedure.
• Please stop taking iron tablets and multivitamins 7 days before a colonoscopy procedure.

Request forms or documents

• You can request a medical certificate and/or a carer’s certificate for the day of your procedure. If you require a certificate for more days, please consult your GP.
• If you are seeking travel reimbursement through the patient travel subsidy scheme, you will need to bring this document with you.
• Please let us know if you need preparation instructions in other languages. Simplified Chinese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Farsi and Italian are currently available.
• Our Endoscopy Service has a suite of educational videos related to endoscopy procedures. There are 6 videos and you only need to watch those applicable to you and your scheduled procedure. If you are scheduled for a pre-colonoscopy assessment appointment, an endoscopy or colonoscopy, you will be sent a link to these videos again in an SMS about your appointments.

Parking

A 10-minute pick-up and drop-off parking bay is available at the Endoscopy unit for patients having procedure/s which require anaesthetic. For patient drop-off, there is an undercover set-down and pick-up area located adjacent to the Endoscopy unit. If you are picking up a patient after their procedure, you can access the Endoscopy unit car park by providing the patient’s name at the car park entrance.

Find more information about parking and transport information.

After your procedure

You and your GP will be provided with a report of your procedure. You will be informed of the follow up required. It may include any of the following:

• outpatient clinic
• GP follow up
• ongoing surveillance of your condition.

Please make sure to return your Colonoscopy 30 day follow up program letter at least 30 days after your procedure.

What to bring

Clinics