Measurement of the patient’s bowel movement pattern.
Objectives:
To assess the patient’s bowel elimination habits during hospitalization.
Equipment:
– See genital hygiene equipment. – See wedge type urinal handling and positioning equipment.
Material:
– Genital hygiene material. – Wedge-type urinal handling material. – Nursing records.
Procedure:
– Perform hand washing.
– Preserve the patient’s privacy. – Inform the patient and family of the procedure. – Ask the patient and family to cooperate. – If the patient is autonomous, ask about the fecal elimination pattern: how much he/she defecated and the characteristics of the stool. – If the patient is dependent: apply the wedge-type urinal handling procedure. Perform genital hygiene. – Observe the quantity, consistency, appearance and color of the stool. – Leave the patient in a comfortable position. – Record in the nursing documentation: care performed, reason, voiding pattern, date and time, incidents and patient response.
Observations:
– Normal stool characteristics: Color: adult: brown; infant: yellow Consistency: formed, soft, semi-solid, moist Amount: depends on diet. Components: small amounts of undigested fiber, epithelial cells and dead bacteria, fat, proteins…
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