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A Guide To Help Improve Incontinence Care DE A K E N T, DN P, R N , N P-C, CWOCN
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the patient and allows for ease of maneuverability in the guide. The guide provides access to the BWAP Consensus publication published in the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN), written by the task force, and it also contains photos of products for easy reference. The BWAP Guide is the evidence gathered and in action and complements the care of any provider. The product of the guide is a recommendation for the patient as far as a product choice, and the user of the guide can be confident in the evidence-based choice. Because no one product is the solution for everyone, the guide informs the user of what characteristics of the patient (and caregiver) that should be assessed. It is packed with useful assessment information that addresses cognition and body habitus considerations. This guide will assist the user in following a consistent approach to the patient with incontinence in the realm of product selection and appropriateness. The BWAP Guide can assist certified WOC nurses not just in product selection, but can serve as a teaching aide for others; whether that be physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, therapy colleagues or healthcare students. The guide can easily be used with case scenarios or real-life situations to assist with real-time product selection and utilization. This will allow the WOC nurse expert to transfer much needed information to those who can also make a huge difference in an incontinent patient’s life. It is a great resource for clinical students, product selection committees across the continuum in both acute and post-acute care, and it is so user-friendly that even the most novice of healthcare professionals can make a clinically sound choice. While this guide is intended for clinicians, ultimately, we would love to have a guide for consumer use. The BWAP Task Force envisions patients looking for answers to have a guide right in the incontinent product’s aisle at major retail and pharmacies across the country. We shall continue to chase that dream, and we ask our colleagues to please use the BWAP Guide, tell your colleagues about it, and put this knowledge into action because our incontinent patient’s quality of life and dignity depends on it!
he Body Worn Absorbent Product (BWAP) Guide was an idea born out of necessity. We all know people who suffer with incontinence, and even suffer more because of ill-fitting products or improperly used products. It seems that many healthcare providers of all types have varying degrees of experience and knowledge of what the incontinent patient may need to gain dryness and dignity. Mostly, providers are consulted out of ultimate frustration after numerous fails. Unfortunately, there has been no good source of gathered information from which to make an informed decision to guide patients. That gap fueled the work for the BWAP Guide (an online algorithm) for clinicians, and it was essentially the next step after a publication that detailed the work of the BWAP Task Force and a consensus conference in 2017. The development of the pieces and parts of the guide took about six months of close work between the BWAP Task Force, which consists of Dr. Mikel Gray, Dr. Dea Kent, Laurie McNichol and JoAnn ErmerSeltun, along with Anna Shnayder, the WOCN Society’s Chief Operations Officer, and the Society’s web team. The BWAP name came to fruition when the task force members were working on the literature search and developing statements for the consensus conference. The Body Worn Absorbent Product work was named “BWAP” for ease and because the name just stuck. BWAP is easy to remember and is an easy acronym to use when conversing about this subject that makes many uncomfortable. The ultimate purpose of this project is to improve the quality of life for the incontinent patient through the selection and implementation of the appropriate body worn absorbent product. Providers of all disciplines can find the BWAP Guide a valuable resource because it is available online for free at bwap. wocn.org and is always accessible via smartphones, tablets or computers. It is not an app, but rather a website, so it's always up-to-date and is ready to aid the user in decision-making support regarding selection of the correct BWAP for any patient. The guide is very easy to use. It asks a series of questions about
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ISSUE 8, SEPTEMBER 2019
