Developing a consensus guide to toilet training all children.

, Independent Practitioner and Consultant, Down Syndrome UK (junerogersmbe@hotmail.com), and , Children's Nurse Specialist, Bladder and Bowel UK, The Toilet Training Team, were winners of the Gold Award in the Continence Nurse of the Year category of the BJN Awards 2024.

Interventions to improve continence for children and young people with neurodisability: a national survey of practitioner and family perspectives and experiences.

Objective: Describe families' experiences of interventions to improve continence in children and young people with neurodisability, and health professionals' and school and social care staff's perspectives regarding factors affecting intervention use.

Design: Four online surveys were developed and advertised to parent carers, young people with neurodisability, health professionals and school and social care staff, via societies, charities, professional contacts, schools, local authorities, and national parent carer and family forums, who shared invitations with their networks. Survey questions explored: difficulties helping children and young people use interventions; acceptability of interventions and waiting times; ease of use and availability of interventions, and facilitators and barriers to improving continence.

Improving continence in children and young people with neurodisability: a systematic review and survey.

Background: Children and young people with neurodisability often need help to achieve socially acceptable bladder and bowel control. Approaches vary depending on whether or not the impairment results from spinal cord pathology that impairs motor control and sensation of the bladder and bowel. Currently, there is uncertainty about which interventions are effective.

Helping schools to manage continence problems.

The charity organisations Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence and PromoCon regularly receive feedback from health professionals, children and families suggesting that schools struggle to cope with childhood continence problems. This article outlines the responsibilities of schools to understand continence problems, implement effective policies and procedures to meet children's needs, and recognise those children's rights to be supported in achieving continence and independence. It also describes the development of a toolkit called The Right to Go.

Daytime wetting in children and acquisition of bladder control.

Daytime wetting is a common problem in early childhood. This article explains how the infant's bladder develops and how children are able to develop bladder control. The need for more structured toilet training at an earlier age than is standard today is proposed to prevent children having difficulty attaining and maintaining bladder control, which may be associated with delays in becoming continent and the development of daytime wetting.

Working with families to boost children's continence.

This article discusses a new care model for managing idiopathic paediatric continence problems. A key aspect of the innovation is empowering the child and family to self-manage the problem. This resulted in improved treatment outcomes and reduced both "did not attend" rates and waiting lists.

How to manage chronic constipation in adults.

Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders encountered in clinical practice. Its prevalence increases with age and it is more common in the female population. Although often trivialised as a common and minor problem, chronic constipation is associated with considerable impairment of quality of life and is a significant burden on healthcare budgets.

Assessment, prevention and treatment of constipation in children.

The management of constipation can often be a challenge in children who may be fearful of opening their bowels and who may be reluctant to sit on the toilet. This article focuses on guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on constipation in children and young people. The guidance discusses successful treatment of constipation, including ensuring effective initial emptying of the bowel and appropriate laxative therapy.

One step at a time: how to toilet train children with learning disabilities.

Toilet training children with learning disabilities can present challenges and requires careful assessmentand management. This article examines strategies for toilet training using a five step approach bladder and bowel control.

Assessing and treating faecal incontinence in children.

Faecal incontinence can have a profound effect on the lives of children and their families. Children who have faecal incontinence have a greater risk of being bullied at school, and parents are often frustrated and concerned by the associated social stigma. The social and psychological effects of faecal incontinence on the child can last for a long time.

The impact paediatric bowel care pathway.

Care pathways to manage continence problems in adults are well established (Bayliss et al, 2003). However, little work had been carried out to develop care pathways in paediatrics. There are increasing numbers of nurse-led clinics for children with continence problems, and nurses need structured systems to guide practice.

An integrated paediatric continence service.

June Rogers, winner of the 2007 NT Continence Award, describes the process of developing an integrated continence service.

Urine collection in infants and children.

June Rogers and Caroline Saunders review current evidence and best practice regarding obtaining a urine specimen from children.

Offset analgesia: a temporal contrast mechanism for nociceptive information.

Temporal filtering of afferent information is an intrinsic component of the processing of numerous types of sensory information. To date, no temporal filtering mechanism has been identified for nociceptive information. The phenomenon of offset analgesia, the disproportionately large decrease in perceived pain following slight decreases in noxious thermal intensity, however, suggests the existence of such a mechanism.

Management of functional constipation in childhood.

Functional constipation is a common condition. In the majority of cases the constipation develops as a result of a complex weave of factors including specific triggers, e.g.

An overview of the management of nocturnal enuresis in children.

Nocturnal enuresis is one of the common conditions of childhood and left untreated can cause increasing stress and anxiety for the child and disruption for the family. This article gives an overview of the potential contributory factors to the cause of bedwetting and highlights the importance of carrying out a focused assessment using the 'three systems' approach, to not only exclude any underlying pathology but also help direct treatment. The different treatment options are discussed and emphasis is placed on involving the child and family in the decision-making process.