Continence care and training

TAKING BACK CONTROL

Promoting continence for all adults through a national education programme on HSELanD

Anational education programme to promote continence and appropriate management of continence problems for adults is now available online at HSELanD.ie. Intended for healthcare professionals who are engaged in the assessment and management of adults with continence issues, the programme supports the HSE National Guideline for the assessment, promotion and management of continence in adults by registered nurses (2019).

Continence care in Ireland has generally been varied and has in the past lacked a standard approach. This led the Community Funded Schemes Service Improvement Programme, under Primary Care Operations, to look at standardising the approach here in Ireland. In 2019 an expert working group finalised and published the new national guideline, based on international best practice.

The guideline and supporting resources are available at www.hse.ie/continencecare. These include a comprehensive toolkit of supporting assessment and referral forms, pathways and information leaflets. As well as the resources for healthcare workers, a section on the webpage also contains information leaflets which are helpful for people who are experiencing continence issues.

The education programme to support the national guideline was developed and launched via online webinars in 2020. The programme has been further revised this year and a series of continence care modules to support better continence care across all healthcare settings (primary care, older persons, intellectual disability, mental health and acute hospital) have been added.

As reported by the continence advisors involved in the programme, conservative management for patients through lifestyle changes empowers them to take a greater role in managing their symptoms better. And it enables them to take back control of their lives again.

The programme is available now on HSELanD and is suitable for healthcare professionals engaged in the assessment and management of adults with continence issues. Each participant will develop knowledge and acquire the skills to perform a holistic bladder and bowel continence assessment.

Modules focus on

• prevalence and impact of continence in Ireland, • types and classification of incontinence, • assessment and management, • case studies, • skin care and • integrated care - shared care plan.

The modules were developed by a team with a wealth of teaching experience and clinical expertise. They include Continence Advisors, Nursing Practice Educator and a Consultant Urologist.

There are four modules in total (with three topics in each module) and all modules can be completed in the participant’s own time. The course is NMBI category 1 approved 7 CEUs.

Our team (Margaret Tiernan, Continence Advisor, Roscommon Primary Care; Breda Moore, Continence Advisor Carlow / Kilkenny Primary Care; Rachel Long, Continence Advisor, Cork North Lee; AnnaMarie Mills Continence Advisor Mullingar Primary Care; Mary Bell, Education and Practice Development Manager; Una McCarthy, Primary Care Operations) wish to thank the staff from the ONMSD, Cork Kerry CNME who assisted with the webinars in December 2020 and Mr Eamonn Rogers, National Clinical Advisor for Urology to the National Clinical Programme in Surgery (NCPS). We thank all for taking the time to share their knowledge and expertise.

More information

National Guideline and supporting toolkit: The guideline, assessment forms, patient information leaflets and associated resources via hse.ie/continencecare Online education programme: Login and register at www.hseland.ie. Once registered, select course catalogues, then ONMSD catalogue. Scroll down for National Adult Continence Education Programme 2021 -2020. For more information contact: Una McCarthy, Programme Manager, Primary Care Operations CFS National Service Improvement Programme email: una.mccarthy@hse.ie