The maximizing urinary functioning program: an innovative approach to managing incontinence in long term care.
Urinary incontinence is a common occurrence in long term care and, given the client population, continence is often an unrealistic expectation. However, it was recognized that nursing plays a pivotal role in the maintenance and enhancement of clients' abilities with respect to their urinary functioning. In our facility, it was found that a need existed not only to assist clients to maximize their urinary functioning, but also to encourage the independent decision-making of our professional staff. The MUF Program developed to meet these needs was based upon the use of a systematic method for decision-making in nursing. The Maximizing Urinary Functioning Program was implemented on a pilot unit and evaluated using a pre-test/post-test design. Based upon the results of this evaluation and projections for the benefit to new admissions, the program is now being implemented hospital-wide. This project has also served to raise several research questions of interest to those working in long term care and levelled practice: how will the management of new admissions with urinary incontinence change over several years with a program of systematic decision-making in place? will there be a decline in the number of incontinent clients at our facility over a two-year period? is there a relationship between independent decision-making and job satisfaction for professional nursing staff working in levelled practice? and what is the effect of enhancing the independent decision-making skills of professional nursing staff on the job satisfaction of the nonprofessional staff?
Anderson
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CL
Hughes
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D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D016294:Models, Nursing; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000451:nursing* / Q000534:rehabilitation