Practitioner suggestions for improving continence care in hospitals

Percival, John; Cotterill, Nikki; Cramp, Fiona; McCabe, Candy

Abstract

Difficulties with bladder control affect one in five people in the UK and bowel problems affect one in ten. The quality of continence care can be poor and is then associated with increased admission to nursing or residential homes. Our study, which is summarised in this article, set out to identify factors that help and hinder good continence care for patients aged ≥65 years in hospital medical ward settings. We carried out 27 face-to-face interviews with nursing, medical and allied health practitioners in three hospitals. Examples of good-quality care included person-centred care that encouraged independence; poor-quality care resulted from over-reliance on products, such as pads or catheters, with an associated risk of infections. Practitioners suggested that continence care could be improved through open communication with patients, conservative treatments and regular continence care training

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 1, 2022
• Publication Date: 2022-04
• Deposit Date: Apr 27, 2022
• Print ISSN: 0954-7762
• Publisher: EMAP
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 118
• Issue: 4
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9294790
• Publisher URL: https://www.nursingtimes.net/digital-edition/nursing-times-april-2022/