title: Bowel management in the intensive care unit.
abstract: The area of bowel care in the intensive care unit (ICU) is often overlooked in the holistic care of the critically ill individual. With the primary concern of optimising patients to preserve life the problem of bowel care has been given less priority. The guidelines included within this service improvement paper offer a simple approach to bowel care management with the use of an algorithm and visual display score to be used in conjunction with the algorithm. This was developed in the intensive care unit of the Royal Free Hospital, London and is presently in use.
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, Royal Free Hospital, Pond Street, Hampstead, London NW3 2QG, UK. brian.dorman@royalfree.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Brian P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Dorman
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: Anwar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dobson
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pearse
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Singleton
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Omoush
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barry
authors.forename: Arnell Rhee
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Colongon
authors.forename: Maricar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.forename: Maregre
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zabala
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D002400:Cathartics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing*; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000451:nursing; D003663:Decision Trees; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing*; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D004750:Enteral Nutrition / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D009731:Nursing Audit; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009737:Nursing Records / Q000592:standards; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing / Q000592:standards; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration
chemical_list: D002400:Cathartics