New risk assessment tool for constipation

Orthopaedic patients are being discharged from hospital so constipated that they require manual evacuation, said Gaye Kyle at the RCN International Research conference, held in Liverpool last month.

Ms Kyle, Senior Lecturer at Thames Valley University and education and research officer for the Association for Continence Advice presented a paper on her development and validation of a risk assessment tool for constipation. Ongoing study is being undertaken to evaluate its impact on patients' well-being.

The tool was developed both to aid healthcare professionals' clinical decision-making and to raise awareness of constipation. 'This is a fundamental aspect of care and we still haven't got it right,' she told delegates.