Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D M Nies.
A partnership between a nursing home and a school of nursing provides both staff and students with creative opportunities for solving clinical problems. Through collaborative efforts of senior baccalaureate students and the staff administration of a long-term care facility in eastern Virginia, a successful bowel management program was developed and implemented.
1. Poor bowel elimination and constipation plague many individuals with advanced age. Moreover, the use of laxatives as the panacea for these concerns is far too common. 2. A successful bowel management program was implemented at the study facility through the collaborative efforts of baccalaureate nursing students and nursing home staff members. 3. The bowel management protocol involved increasing the amount of fiber, fluids, and exercise for each resident in the study. 4. The program demonstrated a definite decrease in the number of laxatives used by the subjects as well as an increase in the number of spontaneous bowel movements.