Student/staff collaboration: a pilot bowel management program.

1. Poor bowel elimination and constipation plague many individuals with advanced age. Moreover, the use of laxatives as the panacea for these concerns is far too common. 2. A successful bowel management program was implemented at the study facility through the collaborative efforts of baccalaureate nursing students and nursing home staff members. 3. The bowel management protocol involved increasing the amount of fiber, fluids, and exercise for each resident in the study. 4. The program demonstrated a definite decrease in the number of laxatives used by the subjects as well as an increase in the number of spontaneous bowel movements.