"About 1.6 million endoscopic procedures are performed every year," said Dr. David Armstrong, lead of the CAG Quality Committee. "With demand for services growing and exceeding supply, the CAG identified the need to develop clear, national guidelines, a quality program and educational resources to ensure safe, high quality endoscopic care for Canadians."
The Consensus Guidelines are available for use by all healthcare professionals in Canada who offer endoscopy services. They are an extension of programs the CAG has developed over the past decade to promote greater safety and quality in endoscopic services to Canadians. Among these programs is the Quality Program - Endoscopy (QP-E), a program that evaluates multiple components of endoscopy service from a patient-focused perspective. The Global Rating Scale-Canada (GRS-Canada), a key element of the CAG's QP-E program, provides tools for endoscopy facilities and endoscopists to monitor the quality of their services regularly and minimize the risk that patients will be exposed to the anxiety and potential harm arising from suboptimal endoscopic investigations.
The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) was founded in 1962. Its mandate is to support and engage in the study of the organs of the digestive tract in health and disease; promote the advancement of the science and art of gastroenterology by providing leadership in patient care, research, teaching and continuing professional development; and promote and maintain the highest ethical standards. The CAG has more than 1,100 members including gastroenterologists, surgeons, pediatricians, basic scientists and nurses.
