Patients may have a better chance of detection of an adenoma and a lower perforation rate if their colonoscopy is performed by a gastroenterologist rather than a surgeon, internist or GP, a study shows.

The findings suggest a coordinated effort is needed to improve the quality of the procedure across the various specialties that carry it out, say the Canadian researchers.

They conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies in adults comparing outcomes between at least two groups of specialists performing colonoscopy on adults from the year 2000 onwards.

They found 36 observational studies – including two from Australia – covering in total more than 3.5 million procedures.