Abstract

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is the most common procedure in the field of gastroenterology. Controlling the quality of endoscopy is quite important because gastric cancer is the most prevalent cancer in Korea. For each endoscopic procedure, the indicators of quality control can be considered for 3 time periods: the preprocedure, intraprocedure and postprocedure periods. The common issues during preprocedure include the proper indications, the patient's consent for the procedure, the patient's clinical status and the risk assessment, and the steps to reduce the risk. The common issues during intraprocedure include all the technical aspects of the procedure, including completion of the examination and any of the therapeutic maneuvers. The postprocedure activities include providing instructions to the patient, documentation of the procedure, recognition and documentation of complications, follow-up of the pathologic conditions and assessing the patient's satisfaction. Regular monitoring the quality of endoscopy can raise the level of performing endoscopic procedures.(Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2010;40:343-346)

• Keywords: Upper gastrointestinal tract, Endoscopy, Quality control