ContinenceOstomySource

Incontinence pants come in many different styles and offer different functionality. Most “incontinence pants” are actually briefs and are not garments intended to cover a patient’s legs. The pants are typically used with incontinence pads and should be worn under clothing. This combination is most appropriate for patients suffering from occasional light-to-moderate urinary incontinence.

Other pants such as adult plastic pants offer an extra layer of waterproof protection. These are often worn over incontinence briefs/diapers that can contain a full fecal or urinary void. Some pants are designed to assist the use of hand held urinals and other pants are intended to be used with different types of catheters.  read more »

It’s been a busy year for continence and wound care clinicians. There is high demand for consultation from experienced WOC clinicians. Everyone wants to nail down “best practices” and set up a product formulary that both is cost effective and meets standards. The search for outcome measurement methodology is intense. This trend is certainly fueled by the rising number of older citizens, but more importantly, it’s driven by the new regulatory requirements that link quality of health care to reimbursement.  read more »

Picture this… Your patient, Mr. Jones, is being treated for stroke complications in your hospital. The entire left side of his body is paralyzed, he is unable to move on his own, and thanks to the diapers he is wearing, he is uncomfortable and wet most of the time. You noticed today that the moisture buildup in his skin has lead to painful and unsightly skin breakdown, and you know that if you could only keep him dry, this might have been avoided. What you may not know is that there is a better way – a way to keep him dry and comfortable all day and all night.  read more »

Twenty-five million people suffer from incontinence. All age groups are affected. One-quarter of those suffering from stress incontinence are under the age of 40. Teenage females are increasingly reporting incontinent episodes during athletic activities. Twenty-five percent of men older than 50 with benign prostatic hypertrophy are as likely as their female counterparts to experience “wet” overactive bladder. More than 60 percent of men are incontinent for up to one year following prostatectomy. Yet only 1.1 million office visits were associated with incontinence.  read more »

Speaking as clinicians who practice in various settings along the continuum of care, we feel that this year marked some progress in the treatment of incontinence for our patients. Long-term care facilities are beginning to consult incontinence specialists on a routine basis; nurses are discussing incontinence issues with practitioners and initiating bowel and bladder training more often. In acute care settings, the diagnosis of “urinary incontinence”(instead of the order for “Foley catheter”) is showing up more frequently in medical histories and on problem lists.  read more »

Once upon a time, public forums about containment devices, such as diapers, were limited to discussions regarding babies. Society pushed the envelope a bit and we started seeing television and magazine ads referring to “potty training.” Discussions about adult incontinence of either fecal or urinary effluent, however, were still considered taboo. In the past year, in smirking adolescent-like fashion, the popular press reported several stories that acknowledged a secret world, one in which people use containment devices to collect incontinence episodes.  read more »

For those experiencing incontinence, the good news is that a growing percentage of conditions can be treated and cured. The bad news is that diagnosing the problem (finding the root cause) and treating the problem (with medication, surgery, etc.) can be a lengthy process. During this period of diagnosis and treatment, proper incontinence management is a must.  read more »