Home-based capsule endoscopy offers effective testing convenience and more!

A recently published study in ‘BMJ-Frontline Gastroenterology’ evaluated the effectiveness of at-home capsule endoscopy (ACE) as an alternative to traditional methods, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study by Ioanna Parisi and colleagues involved 105 patients who underwent ACE, evaluating its outcomes, completion rates, complications and patient satisfaction.

Results demonstrated that all the patients successfully completed the capsule endoscopy at home, with high completion rates for small bowel (98.3%), colon (75.9%), and panenteric (55.6%) examinations. Patients reported pain relief (94.1%), lesser levels of embarrassment (98.8%), and anxiety (82.1%) during the procedure. ACE was also noted to save time and money, permitting nearly half of the patients to avoid missing work and over half to bypass transport expenses.

Overall, patients expressed high satisfaction with the at-home procedure, with 83.3% indicating a preference for future capsule endoscopies to be conducted in their homes. These findings indicate that at-home capsule endoscopy is not only clinically effective but also well-accepted by patients with the benefits of a comfortable and convenient alternative to the standard hospital-based methods.