Continence Care Guidelines

In this article, we discuss continence care because this kind of healthcare affects very much the patient’s quality of life. With good continence care the patient can benefit greatly. Good continence care can only be achieved if the personnel providing it are professional with adequate certifications and qualifications. The following passages will focus on what continence care is and basic facts about continence care professionals such as certified continence nurses. Please note that in this article “continence” refers to urinary continence (Incontinence refers to urinary incontinence).

What Does Continence Care Mean

Whereas urinary continence means the ability to voluntarily control urinary, urinary incontinence refers to an inability to control urination, leading to involuntary leakage.

Continence care refers to the management and support of individuals who have difficulty controlling their bladder, a condition known as incontinence. This type of care is focused on improving the quality of life for those affected by providing strategies and interventions to help manage symptoms, prevent complications, and promote dignity and independence.

Key Components of Continence Care

1) Assessment

Evaluating the individual's bladder function to identify the type and cause of incontinence.

2) Personalized Care Plans

Developing tailored approaches, which may involve bladder training, pelvic floor exercises, dietary changes, medication, or the use of continence products like pads or catheters.

3) Hygiene and Skin Care

Ensuring proper skin care to prevent irritation or infections due to prolonged contact with urine.

4) Education

Teaching patients and caregivers about incontinence management strategies and how to use products effectively.

5) Support

Providing emotional and psychological support to help individuals cope with the challenges of incontinence.

Catheterization in Continence Care

An important part of continence care is urinary catheterization, where a nurse or healthcare professional inserts a catheter into the bladder to drain urine.

Urinary catheterization as a continence care is usually done for the following situations.

A. Urinary Retention

Urinary retention refers to the inability to initiate or complete urination, despite the urge to go.

B. In severe cases or in people with neurological disorders other methods of continence management often fail; in this situation urinary catheterization is usually the option left.

C. Post-surgical or bedridden patients usually need to undergo urinary catheterization.

Catheter types in continence care are intermittent catheters and indwelling catheters. If you want to explore what they are and how they can help solve patients’ problems you can refer to major producers’ websites such as www.bevermedical.com (Hangzhou Bever Medical Devices Co., Ltd.)

Certified Continence Care Nurse

A urinary continence care nurse is a specialized healthcare professional who focuses on helping individuals manage bladder control problems, such as urinary incontinence, through assessment, intervention, and education. These nurses play a vital role in improving the quality of life for patients who experience issues with urinary continence, working across various healthcare settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, and outpatient clinics.

As a major part of their responsibilities, continence care nurses handle catheterization using urinary catheters.

A. Assist with or manage catheterization for patients who cannot empty their bladders effectively. This may include teaching self-catheterization or handling indwelling catheters.

B. Monitor catheter-related issues, such as infection prevention and catheter maintenance.

Institutions employing this type of professionals are keen to hire continence care nurses that have been certified.

The most recognized certification for urinary continence care nurses in the United States is the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (WOCN) Certification, specifically the Certified Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse (CWOCN) credential. This certification is granted by the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB), a respected organization that offers specialized certifications for nurses in continence care.

A certified continence care nurse has successfully undergone the following steps, trainings, education or work experiences.

1) Registered Nurse (RN) Licensure

Complete a nursing degree (Associate Degree in Nursing or Bachelor of Science in Nursing) and pass the NCLEX-RN exam to become a licensed RN.

2) Experience

Gain clinical experience in areas such as urology, which helps develop the necessary skills to manage continence care.

3) Specialized Education

Enroll in a certification program, such as the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurse Education Program (WOCNEP), which offers specialized training in continence care, along with wound and ostomy management. Accredited by the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN), this program prepares nurses to handle complex continence issues.

4) Certification

After completing the WOCNEP or similar training, nurses must pass the certification exam for Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (CWOCN). While this certification covers all three areas, many nurses focus on continence care.

5) Continuing Education

Maintain certification through continuing education in the field of urinary continence care and renew the credential every five years.

Continence Care Guidelines

For continence care nurses and continence care doctors, continence care guidelines are information very important for their job and even career. This kind of information is indispensable for them in terms of proper job performance and in terms of treatment outcomes.

Urinary continence care guidelines tell people that there are seven areas to be focused on in caring patients with urinary incontinence, namely, Assessment and Diagnosis, Behavioral and Lifestyle Interventions, Pharmacological Interventions, Continence Products, Catheterization, Surgical Interventions, and Patient and Caregiver Education.

Sources for Guidelines

A. American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines on incontinence management.

B. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines on urinary incontinence.

C. International Continence Society (ICS) standards for care.

For detailed guidelines, refer to the AUA, NICE, or ICS websites.

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