Development, implementation, and evaluation of a continence education package in acute and subacute care settings.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to trial and evaluate the effect that a discharge Continence Education Package (CEP) had on patients' continence awareness and management preferences.


METHODS
An exploratory descriptive design was used.


METHODS
A total of 631 participants were included in the study: 352 females (55.8%) and 279 males (44.2%) from 4 rural and regional settings in Victoria, Australia.


METHODS
A specifically designed questionnaire was used to assess participants' knowledge of incontinence and its management and also to investigate their treatment preferences and intentions if they experienced this type of problem. Data were collected at 2 time periods. Specifically, patients were interviewed before discharge from acute and subacute settings identified as Time 1 (T1). Then the participants were given the CEP and asked to complete a similar questionnaire.


RESULTS
The findings revealed that fewer than 25% of participants had received information on continence before the study being conducted, yet the majority had indicated that they had experienced continence symptoms. The majority of participants found the CEP easy to understand (98.2%) and helpful (95.3%). Most participants said it provided them with information about types of actions to take and/or treatment options for incontinence problems. It also raised their awareness of the signs and symptoms associated with incontinence and provided them with a useful self-administered gauge with which to assess their continence status.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the CEP may be a useful educational tool for use in the general population.
O'Connell
Bev
B
Cabrini-Deakin Centre for Nursing Research, Malvern, Victoria, Australia. beverley.oconnell@deakin.edu.au
Day
Keren
K
Wellman
David
D
Baker
Linda
L
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D010351:Patient Discharge; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000451:nursing*; D014739:Victoria