The use of bowel management systems in the high-dependency setting

In the acute care setting faecal incontinence is often associated with diarrhoea, both of which are challenging nursing problems. In this environment, it is essential that health-care professionals are able to provide good quality care, therefore, the assessment and management of faecal incontinence are fundamental elements of practice. This article examines the importance of identifying faecal incontinence within health-care settings, highlights the under-reporting of this condition and demonstrates that through careful assessment, appropriate treatment options can be used to provide optimum patient care. The article also describes the implementation of local guidelines for a bowel management system that were developed to promote best practice in patients being nursed in a high dependency health-care area.