Bowel management constitutes a crucial component of NDIS supports, as it falls under the purview of Module 1: High Intensity Daily Personal Activities. Specifically, complex bowel care stands as a personalised support system tailored to participants facing the heightened risk of severe constipation and/or faecal incontinence.
As a provider specialising in complex bowel care, the establishment of a comprehensive array of forms, charts, and documents is imperative to effectively deliver compliant services. This blog outlines 5 must have resources for all complex bowel care providers.
1. Complex Bowel Care Policy
Your Complex Bowel Care Policy serves as a blueprint outlining critical practices in complex bowel care.
This policy should encompass fundamental aspects such as:
- strategies for fostering optimal complex bowel health
- guidelines for managing conditions including constipation, diarrhoea, and faecal incontinence
- protocols for the management of bowel stomas
- prerequisites for staff training
- an operational framework for complex bowel care support implementation
- a system for periodic policy review
2. Bowel Management Processes
Operational processes serve as the operational backbone of your complex bowel care services. Some examples of processes you may require are:
- planning and implementing complex bowel care
- assessing bowel sounds
- managing stoma care
3. Bowel Management Easy Read
Easy reads are vital for your organisation because they provide a means of communicating important information to your workers and participants. Pictures shorten the time it takes to get a message across and have universal appeal. Having an easy read to help explain complex bowel care provides a crucial communication tool. Your easy read should cover:
- different types of bowel problems
- bowel health
- your responsibilities to your participants
4. Bowel Monitoring Chart
The bowel monitoring chart is a clinical instrument designed for the continuous monitoring and documentation of a participant’s bowel movements throughout the week. Furthermore, it offers a platform to record medication administration and its subsequent impact on the participant’s bowel function.
5. Malnutrition Screening Tool and Monitoring Chart
Complex bowel complications may elevate the risk of malnutrition among participants, necessitating the use of a specialised screening tool.
Employing a malnutrition screening tool enables the systematic evaluation of a participant’s weight and dietary status, facilitating the proactive mitigation of malnutrition risk.
The judicious deployment of these indispensable resources assures ongoing compliance with regulatory standards and will empower you to methodically organise and execute your services.
Centro’s SM1 Bowel Management Content
