A mixed methods study investigating the quality of urinary and faecal continence assessment and management in residential aged care: Challenges, implications and solutions

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Golenko, Xanthe
McLeod, Kate
Lowthian, Judy A
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2023
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Abstract

Objective: Incontinence is one of the main reasons for institutionalisation into residential aged care. It is linked with increased falls, skin breakdown, depression, social isolation and impaired quality of life. Studies over the past decade have demonstrated poor-quality incontinence care, which has led to ongoing development of best practice guidelines and educational resources. This study investigated current practices, and staff and resident experiences with continence assessment and management, in comparison with best practice guidelines. Methods: This concurrent mixed methods study was conducted in a 120-bed residential aged care home. Secondary analysis of data from clinical records provided a snapshot of how continence was assessed and managed. Semistructured interviews with four staff and five residents explored their experiences to understand the impact of current practice on resident emotional well-being. Mixing methods allowed for comparison between quantitative and qualitative findings, enabling a deeper understanding. Results: Findings from the two data sets were highly congruent and identified: (1) lack of communication with residents and family members about continence needs; (2) heavy reliance on product usage and limited other conservative strategies; (3) staff frustration at inability to respond to calls in a timely manner; and (4) positive staff–resident relationships protect resident emotional well-being. Conclusions: Current practices are not consistent with best practice guidelines, which raises the question as to why nothing has changed. We argue that a stronger focus on implementation underpinned by a relationship-centred approach is required to improve continence care practices among residential care staff, and the quality of life for adults living with incontinence.

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Australasian Journal on Ageing

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42

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3

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© 2023 The Authors. Australasian Journal on Ageing published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of AJA Inc’. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

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Clinical sciences

Health services and systems

Nursing

Science & Technology

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

Geriatrics & Gerontology

Gerontology

faecal incontinence

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Golenko, X; McLeod, K; Lowthian, JA, A mixed methods study investigating the quality of urinary and faecal continence assessment and management in residential aged care: Challenges, implications and solutions, Australasian Journal on Ageing, 2023, 42 (3), pp. 554-563

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