Bowel Control Strategies Used by Veterans With Long-Standing Spinal Cord Injuries.

Study Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe strategies used by veterans with spinal cord injury to achieve control over bowel function and fit their bowel programs into their lifestyles in the years following the initial injury.

Methods/design: Using a qualitative descriptive design, 18 outpatient veterans with spinal cord injuries were interviewed at a Veteran's Administration hospital. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed to determine major themes.

Gaining Control Over Fecal Incontinence.

Strategies that improve the regularity and efficiency of defecation can eliminate or minimize episodes of fecal incontinence. The medical-surgical nurse's role in identifying patients with fecal incontinence is discussed, along with various treatments to control bowel elimination.

Safe storage time for reprocessed flexible endoscopes: a systematic review.

Background: Flexible endoscopes are used to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary diseases. They have narrow, internal channels which are used to insert instruments, air and water into hollow organs and to remove tissues and secretions. Since endoscopes are contaminated during use and have heat sensitive components that cannot be sterilized, they are reprocessed with cleaning and high-level disinfection to destroy microorganisms.

Care of the patient in excited delirium.

Patients with excited delirium present a challenge to both law enforcement and health care personnel because handcuffs, the traditional method used to keep persons from harming themselves and others, may be fatal. The patient's survival depends upon rapid recognition and treatment, including chemical sedation, decreased environmental stimulation, intravenous fluids, and other supportive interventions. Excited delirium protocols should be established to ensure rapid and appropriate treatment to ensure patient survival and the safety of those caring for them.

A national study comparing the tolerability and effectiveness of colon-cleansing preparations.

The aim of this multisite study (N = 412) was to identify which colon-cleansing preparations used before colonoscopy work best with specific patient populations. A comparative, descriptive approach was used to (1) describe bowel-cleansing preparations being used across the United States, (2) compare their cleansing effectiveness and tolerability, and (3) compare their effectiveness in patients with various health characteristics. A descriptive demographic data form adapted from the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates Minimum Data Set was used to collect baseline information, identify preprocedure instructions, and describe compliance with preparations.

A pilot study to test the practicality and efficiency of methods used to evaluate colon cleansing in an inpatient setting.

The purpose of the study was to test measurement methods in an inpatient setting for future use in a multisite study about bowel cleansing before colonoscopy. Because the multisite study used data collectors at distant geographic points who might have limited time to devote to data collection, the forms needed to be tested for practicality and efficiency. The data collection procedures worked well, but we experienced unexpected difficulties recruiting inpatients.