Validation of an inpatient constipation-risk assessment scale for use by nurses

Aims: To develop and validate a French inpatient constipation-risk assessment scale.Background: We tested the prognostic performance of 16 factors included in a scale developed to assess constipation risk in 300 patients hospitalised for ≥ 48 h.Design: Prospective cohort study.Methods: This prospective cohort study evaluated the prognostic performance of 16 factors potentially associated with the occurrence of constipation on the fourth day of hospitalisation in four clinical departments (orthopaedic surgery, plastic surgery, cardiology, and internal medicine) of two university hospitals in France. Results: Our results did not validate the adequacy and prognostic performance of the 16 factors in the model for prediction of constipation risk at the time of hospitalisation. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test revealed good adequacy in the final model; however, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the final model, which represents its discriminatory performance, was 0.64 after correction for optimism. Therefore, the model had insufficient accuracy for predicting constipation risk in patients hospitalised in various medical and surgical departments.Conclusions: Laxative intake and bowel habits were independently associated with constipation risk on the fourth day of hospitalisation.Relevance to clinical practice: Although our results did not validate the clinical usefulness of the scale, we identified three independent risk factors for constipation: laxative intake, polymedication, and intestinal problems. Our results will enhance nurses’ knowledge regarding the prevention of constipation in hospitalised patients. Impact Statement: This publication aims to enhance the knowledge of nurses on preventing constipation in hospitalised patients for an international audience : Nurse managers were involved in the recruitment of participants. Patients gave their consent to participate in the research.