title: The role of the nurse in urinary incontinence.
abstract: Specialist nursing is dynamic and needs to be sensitive, flexible and responsive to changes in care delivery. Clinical, educational, managerial, audit and research activities are all integral to the role of the specialist continence nurse. Nurse specialists need to be careful that they do not de-skill the role of more generalist nurses, but rather enhance their contribution to continence care. They also need to work collaboratively with their Specialist Continence Physiotherapist colleagues. There is evidence that care in the community setting and on ward areas is sub-optimal. Recent audit activities have shown that nurses feel comfortable about assessing the person with continence problems but less certain about treatment. One way to address this imbalance is through the use of care pathways, examples of which are illustrated.
authors.affiliation: Continence Clinic, St Pancras Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D003152:Community Health Nursing; D019091:Critical Pathways; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009720:Nurse Clinicians; D009731:Nursing Audit; D009738:Nursing Service, Hospital; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000451:nursing* / Q000534:rehabilitation