Bowel care practices in chronic spinal cord injury patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine current characteristics of bowel care practices of chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.


METHODS
Prospective interview and examination of 100 SCI patients injured for more than 1 year.


METHODS
Freestanding rehabilitation outpatient SCI center.


METHODS
One hundred chronic SCI patients.


RESULTS
The following bowel program characteristics were found: alternate-day programs were most common; most subjects performed their programs in the morning; and tetraplegic subjects performed their programs less often, used suppositories more often, required greater assistance, and took longer to complete their programs.


CONCLUSIONS
Bowel dysfunction in chronic SCI need not be associated with complications in the majority of cases.
Kirshblum
S C
SC
Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA.
Gulati
M
M
O'Connor
K C
KC
Voorman
S J
SJ
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002400:Cathartics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
D002400:Cathartics