| |
Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
 | |
|
National audit of continence care for older people
— management of urinary incontinence | | Author(s) | Adrian Wagg, Jonathan Potter, Penny Peel |
| Journal title | Age and Ageing, vol 37, no 1, January 2008 |
| Pages | pp 39-44 |
| Source | http://www.ageing.oupjournals.org |
| Keywords | Incontinence ; Medical care ; Evaluation. |
| Annotation | The Department of Health (DH) report, 'Good practice in continence services' highlights the need for proper assessment and management of urinary incontinence. The National Service Framework for Older People (NSF) required service providers to establish integrated continence services by April 2004. A national audit was conducted to assess the quality of continence care for older people and whether these requirements have been met. The audit was conducted across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and studied incontinent individuals aged 65+. Each site returned organisational structure and the process of 20 patients' care. Data on the care of patients or residents with bladder problems were returned by 141/326 primary care trusts (PCTs), 159/196 secondary care trusts (involving 196 hospitals), and by 29/309 invited care homes. In all, 58% of PCTs, 48% of hospitals and 74% of care homes reported that integrated continence services existed in their area. Whilst basic provision of care appeared to be in place, the audit identified deficiencies in the organisation of services, and in the assessment and management of urinary incontinence in older people. The results of this audit indicate that the requirement for integrated continence services has not yet been met. Assessment and care by professionals directly looking after the older people were often lacking. There is an urgent need to re-establish the fundamentals of consumer care into medical and nursing staff practice, and action needs to be taken with regard to the establishment of truly integrated quality services in this neglected area of practice. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-080304207 A |
| Classmark | CTM: LK: 4C |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
|
| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
| |
|