GI Unit Leadership: Optimizing Endoscopy Operations through Leadership (Virtual) | February 2025-ASGE SGNA quality indicators

ASGE SGNA quality indicators_GI endo units

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The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) set out guidelines to enhance the quality of endoscopy units in the United States, focusing on five main domains: patient experience, employee experience, efficiency and operations, procedure-related issues, and safety and infection control. The taskforce developed 155 potential quality indicators through a systematic literature review, expert opinion, and a modified Delphi method to reach consensus among stakeholders, ultimately selecting 29 key indicators.<br /><br />The study revealed that better patient experiences in endoscopy units are often linked to staff interaction, clear communication from endoscopists, and prompt service. It further highlighted the need for indicators reflecting patient-reported outcomes, as these are crucial in improving and measuring patient satisfaction. Employee engagement is also critical, as improving staff satisfaction can lead to customer satisfaction, lower turnover, and enhanced team communication.<br /><br />The indicators emphasize leadership, ongoing staff training, adherence to procedural guidelines, and robust infection control practices. They include specific metrics like ensuring all procedure quality indicators are tracked for both endoscopy units and individual practitioners, staff are regularly trained on new equipment and techniques, and effective communication is maintained with referring providers.<br /><br />Five priority indicators, considered most critical for a high-quality endoscopy unit, were highlighted: having a defined leadership structure, regular training and quality improvement programs, monitoring procedure quality indicators, facilitating communication of procedure reports to both patients and referring providers, and maintaining stringent tracking and reprocessing systems for endoscopes. These are seen as foundational steps in building a high-quality endoscopy unit that also prioritizes patient outcomes and satisfaction. The guidelines serve as part of a larger effort to create a structured framework for assessing and improving the quality of endoscopy services nationwide. Future efforts should focus on further developing these indicators and related data collection methods to align them closely with patient outcomes.

Keywords

ASGE guidelines

endoscopy quality

patient experience

employee engagement

infection control

quality indicators

patient satisfaction

staff training

leadership structure

procedure quality