title: Incontinence: managed or mismanaged in hospital settings?
abstract: This paper reports the results of a survey of inpatients to determine the prevalence of their continence status and the overall management of their incontinence. A survey of 447 hospitalized adults was conducted and an audit of their medical records. Twenty-two per cent of patients reported urinary incontinence, 10% faecal incontinence, 78% nocturia, 23% urinary urgency and 11% trouble passing urine. Pre-existing bladder and bowel problems were reported by 34% and 26% of patients respectively. Sixty per cent of patients were using a continence product or device. There was a lack of documentation in the medical records about patients' continence status and about their pre-admission bowel and bladder status. The findings reveal that the management of incontinence in acute and subacute settings is suboptimal. There is a need to raise clinical awareness about incontinence in hospital settings and to implement a structured approach to its assessment and management. Furthermore, as the costs associated with the management or mismanagement of incontinence in hospital settings are not fully understood, there is a need for further research on this issue.
authors.affiliation: Deakin-Southern Health Nursing Research Centre, Victoria, Australia. joan.ostaszkiewicz@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ostaszkiewicz
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Millar
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005242:Fecal Incontinence / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000628:therapy*