The role of the community nurse in improving quality of life for people with faecal incontinence

Faecal incontinence, the involuntary loss of faeces, is a symptom with multifactorial causes and major effects on quality of life. Community nurses, with their skills and unique position at the frontline of patient care, are pivotal in the assessment and management of faecal incontinence and its associated conditions, such as moisture-associated skin damage, along with signposting across integrated continence pathways. Evidence-based care can meaningfully improve symptoms and patient dignity. The author reviews the research-backed interventions available to nurses seeking to alleviate the shame, stigma and social withdrawal faced by many patients experiencing faecal incontinence.