Organising your colonoscopy preparation plan

Check you have the right instructions

Keep your instructions with the booking confirmation. Check the name, procedure date and hospital. If your booking changes, contact the team. Ask whether your preparation instructions still apply.

Use the instructions for your booking for preparation doses, diet and fasting times. This guide does not give those details. General website advice or someone else's previous plan cannot replace your own instructions.

Sources: Australian Commission: Individualised bowel preparation

Make the plan easy to follow

Bowel preparation clears the bowel so its lining can be examined. If preparation is inadequate, the examination may need to be repeated. Read the whole plan first. Ask the treating team to explain any unclear instructions before buying or starting anything.

If a calendar helps, copy the instructions onto it and check your notes against the original. Keep the exact wording for times, amounts and medicine instructions. Ask for a format you can read easily if the text is too small or the language is unfamiliar.

Sources: Australian Commission: Individualised bowel preparation

Raise medicine and health questions early

Give the treating team an up-to-date list of prescribed medicines, over-the-counter products and supplements. Tell them about your medical conditions, including diabetes or kidney disease, and any previous difficulty with bowel preparation.

Ask who will give you medicine instructions and how to get a written copy. Do not stop, restart or adjust a medicine using this page. If two sets of instructions disagree, ask the treating team which to follow before you act.

Sources: Healthdirect: Preparing for colonoscopy; Australian Commission: Individualised bowel preparation

Organise the practical details

Allow time for both preparation and the hospital visit. Ask the booking team what to allow for before arranging work, caring responsibilities or your lift home. A general estimate of procedure length will not tell you how long your visit will take.

• Can I obtain the exact preparation product specified in my instructions?
• Do I know which number to use for preparation questions, including after hours?
• Have I arranged the support and transport required by my treating team?
• Have I told the team about any access, communication or practical difficulty that could affect the plan?

If preparation is not going to plan

Contact the treating team if you cannot complete the preparation or have concerning symptoms. Explain which instructions you were given and what has happened. Do not add extra doses or improvise a replacement plan.

Keep the team's contact details where you and anyone helping you can find them. For an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).

Sources: Healthdirect: Preparing for colonoscopy