Pain with Colonoscopy Experienced by Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to explore pain with colonoscopy experienced by patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 patients with inflammatory bowel disease who were in remission and analyzed the data qualitatively and descriptively. Results: Participants experienced pain with colonoscopy such as "physical and mental burden with the bowel preparation," "pain during colonoscopy," "fear of colonoscopy," "a feeling of resistance to healthcare professionals of the opposite sex," "fatigue and disease aggravation after colonoscopy," "anxiety about investigation results," and "burden of time and cost." "Pain during colonoscopy" included 'pain accompanying the colonoscopy procedure when the inflammation was active,' ' pain due to complications of inflammatory bowel disease when inserting the colonoscope or changing body position,' 'pain when the tip of the colonoscope was in the colic flexure,' and 'abdominal tension and pain from insufflated air.' Conclusion: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease experienced disease-specific pain with colonoscopy owing to intestinal inflammation and complications of the disease.