A Proactive Approach to Bladder and Bowel Management in Adults

Published: December 2020
Available in English, French, Spanish
Clinical,  Older adults

Purpose and scope

This best practice guideline (BPG) focuses on bladder and bowel management in adults (aged 18 years and older). In particular, this BPG provides evidence-based recommendations for effective strategies to support adults who live with urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and/or constipation…

This best practice guideline (BPG) focuses on bladder and bowel management in adults (aged 18 years and older). In particular, this BPG provides evidence-based recommendations for effective strategies to support adults who live with urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence and/or constipation that will improve quality of care and lead to positive health outcomes.

This BPG is to be used by

  • nurses, 
  • members of the interprofessional team, and 
  • caregivers across the continuum of care (e.g., acute care, long-term care, community and primary care, and rehabilitation),

and in all domains of practice

  • administration, 
  • clinical, 
  • education, 
  • policy, and 
  • research. 

Get started

Video label
Guideline overview
Reference

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO). A proactive approach to bladder and bowel management in adults. 4th ed. Toronto (ON): RNAO; 2020.

Recommendations

Do you want to learn about and implement the most- up-to-date evidence-based recommendations on this topic with your colleagues? Download and share the full best practice guideline (BPG), A Proactive Approach to Bladder and Bowel Management in Adults.
See below for a snapshot of the recommendations from this BPG. We strongly suggest you review the full BPG before implementing the recommendations and good practice statements. The BPG also includes further resources to support implementation and evaluation.  

Disclaimer: These guidelines are not binding for nurses, other health providers or the organizations that employ them. The use of these guidelines should be flexible and based on individual needs and local circumstances. They constitute neither a liability nor discharge from liability. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents at the time of publication, neither the authors nor the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) gives any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them or accepts any liability with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omission in the contents of this work.

Revision status

Current edition published: December 2020

This BPG replaces the RNAO BPGs Promoting Continence Using Prompted Voiding (2005, 2011) and Prevention of Constipation in the Older Adult Population (2005, 2011).

Contact

Contact us for any questions.