Feasibility of Standardized Procedures of White Light Gastroscopy for Clinical Practice: A Multiple Center Study in China

Abstract Background: There is no standardized operation procedure for white light gastroscopy (WLG）in China. We aimed to established a standardized procedure of white light gastroscopy for clinic patients screening, to verify its effect and its feasibility in clinical practice. Methods: We applied the standardized procedure for WLG to out-patients at 9 tertiary hospitals in Beijing. All of the clinical information and operation procedure were recorded.Results: We set a standardized operation procedure for WLG. 1051 patients were enrolled in the base-line survey stage between March 2014 and December 2015. 2156 patients were enrolled in the WLG standardized operation stage from January 2016 to June 2017. The median durations of standardized procedure group were significantly longer than that of the base-line group (prolonged 60.3 seconds averagely, P=0.003). The taken picture numbers in the standardized procedure group were significantly higher than that in the base-line group (17 pictures more averagely, P<0.001). The overall detection rate of gastric mucosal lesions in the standardized procedure group was significantly higher than that in the base-line group (52.5% vs. 38.4%, P<0.01). Both the patient and endoscopist satisfaction scores in the standardized procedure group were all significantly improved than those in the base-line group.Conclusions: The standardized procedure for WLG can improve the detection rate of gastric lesions significantly, and also improve the satisfaction of patients and endoscopists despite prolonged duration. The standardized procedure for white light gastroscopy is effective and feasible in clinical practice with the present endoscopy equipment in China.