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Urinary incontinence in an acute care setting
Objective:
To determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence in an acute care setting and the approaches to the management of it.
Study Design:
An audit of hospital charts containing a diagnosis of urinary incontinence was conducted to gather data about patient demographics, related factors such as skin integrity and orientation, urinary tract infections, and nursing interventions. The audit was conducted by two data collectors who had an established interrater reliability at 100%.
Results:
A 0.87% prevalence rate of cases with a diagnosis of urinary incontinence was found. An additional 13% of cases were documented only in nurses' notes. Nursing comfort measures were the primary choice the management of urinary incontinence. Bladder training and discharge planning were implemented infrequently. Additional findings regarding gender and age distribution, mental status, and management strategies are reported.
Conclusions:
Efforts to diagnosis and treat urinary incontinence must be directed to all age groups. Nursing protocols for accurate and consistent assessment, documentation, and discharge planning with follow-up should be implemented in the acute care setting so that patients can benefit from improved procedures to treat and manage urinary incontinence.