ABSTRACT
Nurses in a palliative care unit (PCU) recognized that there were several inconsistencies relating to assessment and documentation of patient preferences in bowel care management. Although bowel care is recognized as of key importance to the wellbeing of palliative care patients, there is little evidence in current literature about accommodation of patient preferences in bowel care management. A questionnaire was developed to assess whether patient preferences were elicited on admission to the PCU, were documented, and were included in the bowel care regimen. Data were collected from 100 patients in two PCUs in Australia. The findings suggested that little was assessed or documented about bowel care management on admission except functional or pharmacological information. According to patients in the study, their preferences were seldom incorporated into the bowel care regimen. Lack of documentation of bowel care preferences was also found following an audit of patient notes. Techniques for eliciting information, awareness of alternative or complementary methods of bowel care and better documentation procedures are all recommended for inclusion in nursing practice in the palliative care setting.
Subject(s)
Defecation , Documentation/methods , Nursing Assessment/methods , Nursing Records , Palliative Care/methods , Palliative Care/psychology , Patient Participation , Patient-Centered Care/methods , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nursing Audit , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Little is known about nurses' knowledge base and practice in the provision of Bowel Care Management (BCM). Recently, a study designed to investigate both factors was conducted in two hospices, one in New South Wales and the other in South Australia. Twenty-four nurses and 100 palliative care patients participated in the study. The audit of patients' medical records, one of several research methods used in the study, will be discussed here. The research identified that in all but two cases, patients' information about their BCM practices used in the home environment was not documented on their admission to the hospice. Further, the considerable number of charts used in each hospice to record BCM generally asked for information related to bowel function and the use of pharmaceutical preparations, to the exclusion of other methods of management.
