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Understanding barriers to continence care in institutions
Cara Tannenbaum1, Danielle Labrecque, Christiane Lepage
1Research Centre, Institut Universitaire de Geriatrie de Montreal, 4565 Queen Mary Road, Suite 7824, Montreal, QC, H3W 1W5, Canada. cara.tannenbaum@umontreal.ca
Summary
Improving continence care in long-term care (LTC) requires addressing both caregiver beliefs and institutional factors. Successful programs must consider personal, system, and organizational elements for better urinary incontinence (UI) management.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Nursing Care
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Urinary incontinence (UI) is a prevalent issue in long-term care (LTC) settings.
- Effective continence care is crucial for resident well-being and quality of life.
- Understanding factors influencing care-provider behavior is essential for improving UI management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors that facilitate or hinder care-providers' efforts to improve continence care in LTC.
- To explore perceptions of UI and its management among healthcare staff in LTC.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional qualitative study utilizing focus group methodology.
- Involved 42 nurses, nursing assistants, and orderlies from four LTC institutions.
- Content analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data.
Main Results:
- Individual factors (beliefs about UI, attitudes towards the elderly, knowledge) significantly impact continence care.
- Institutional factors (workload, patient type, support systems, intervention attributes) are key determinants.
- Both internal and external elements influence care-providers' propensity to manage UI.
Conclusions:
- Continence programs must adopt a multidimensional approach.
- Addressing personal, systems, and organizational factors is vital for successful UI management.
- Interventions should be tailored to the specific context of LTC settings.