Executive summary: A Quick Reference Guide for Managing Fecal Incontinence (FI)

This article is an executive summary of A Quick Reference Guide for Managing Fecal Incontinence (FI), which was published September 2013 by the WOCN Society's Continence Committee. The quick reference guide provides an overview of fecal incontinence and how it is commonly managed. The information has been compiled so that nurses can quickly access a wide array of information in a single resource to facilitate patient care and patient/staff education. The topics include a definition of FI, epidemiologic data, psychosocial impact, costs, a brief description of bowel physiology, causes of FI, skin complications, assessment, management, patient education, and recommendations for future research. The complete quick reference guide also includes 5 appendices. The appendices provide additional information about predisposing factors for FI, assessment tools, medications and foods that affect gastric or colonic motility, and examples of FI management systems/collectors. The complete quick reference guide is available in the Members-Only library at the WOCN Society's Web site (http://www.wocn.org), and it can also be purchased from the online bookstore at the Society's Web site. This article provides a synopsis of the key features contained in the complete quick reference guide.