User perspectives, preferences and priorities relating to products for managing bladder and bowel dysfunctions

A great many people of all ages around the world cannot fully control their bladder or bowel, or both. Either in the short or long term, they rely upon products and devices to manage the emptying of their bladders and bowels and to collect, absorb and contain leaked urine or faeces. The incontinence product market is large and growing, and ongoing developments in materials and technologies should lead to improvements in these products and devices. Engineers and designers who work in this field - or who plan to do so - need to recognise the breadth of factors that affect the effectiveness and acceptability of products. The primary functions of products for managing bladder and bowel dysfunctions are the collection and containment of urine or faeces - and the associated engineering and design challenges may be considered in terms of flow rates and volumes and methods of acquisition and containment. But products will fail if they do not take into account other factors, some of which relate less directly to these primary functions and some not at all. This article aims to highlight the product characteristics that are most important to the people who use them, and areas where user-centred innovation and development may lead to improvements.