Constipation and Fecal Incontinence: Patient Education Strategies

Course overview

This course provides an essential clinical framework for identifying and managing bowel dysfunction, a prevalent yet often underaddressed issue across various healthcare settings. Many general practitioners and allied health professionals lack specific training in pelvic health, leading to a gap in recognizing and treating symptoms of constipation and fecal incontinence. To address this, the curriculum focuses on understanding normal versus abnormal bowel function, recognizing the diagnostic criteria for functional constipation, and identifying common causes of accidental bowel leakage. Participants will learn to implement evidence-based patient education strategies, including dietary modifications, behavioral techniques, and the use of the Bristol stool chart to guide interventions. This training is designed for a multidisciplinary audience, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, nurses, and athletic trainers, and is applicable in settings ranging from acute care and skilled nursing to home health and private practice.