Self-management and self-determination
Self-management of bowel care is ideal. However, not all people with spinal cord injury (SCI) will have the ability to perform their own bowel care procedures.
It is important to allow the person with SCI to be as involved as possible in decisions about their care. This is known as self-determination.
Provide education to the person with SCI and their carer to ensure they are able to make informed decisions, and support self-management and self-determination.
Education topics
- Anatomy and physiology of the gastrointestinal tract
- How SCI impacts on defecation
- Common bowel problems following SCI
- Role of diet
- Fluid intake
- Activity and exercise
- Medications and side-effects
- How to establish an effective bowel management program
As defecation can be a sensitive topic, it is important to take this into account with education about this topic.