Educational interventions have been proposed to improve adherence to bowel preparation instructions. We evaluated whether adding a short instructional video to standard written and oral information improves bowel preparation quality in an ambulatory setting.

In this prospective, bicentric, randomized, single-blind trial, 282 outpatients scheduled for colonoscopy with polyethylene glycol preparation were randomized 1:1 to standard information alone or standard information plus a 2-minute educational video. The primary outcome was bowel preparation quality assessed using the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). Adequate preparation was defined as BBPS ≥ 7 with all segments ≥ 2. Secondary outcomes included patient comprehension and satisfaction measured using Likert-type scales.

Of 282 randomized patients, 245 were analyzed (129 video, 116 control). Mean BBPS scores were similar between groups (8.32 ± 1.61 vs 8.51 ± 0.89; P = 0.25). Adequate preparation was achieved in 90.8% and 96.6%, respectively (P = 0.11). Comprehension (P = 0.003) and perceived usefulness of information (P = 0.024) were higher in the video group. No independent predictors of inadequate preparation were identified.

In an ambulatory population with high baseline preparation quality, adding a short educational video improved patient-reported understanding but did not significantly change objective bowel preparation quality.