THE ROLE OF THE NURSE IN THE DIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY ROOM

Digestive endoscopy which includes oesogastro-duodenal fibroscopy and colonoscopy is indispensable in digestive pathologies. Nurses play a major role in these examinations. Our aim was to study the role of the nurse in the digestive endoscopy room. We carried out a questionnaire with 20 nurses. 2/3 of those questioned had no training in digestive endoscopy. The possible complications of endoscopy cited by the nurses were digestive haemorrhage digestive perforation infection respiratory disorders and cardiovascular problems. The difficulties encountered by the nurses surveyed were workload staff shortages lack of equipment and lack of training. Around 3/4 of those surveyed mentioned the need for ongoing training. In conclusion nurses are the backbone of digestive endoscopy but they need ongoing training.