Constipation is a common symptom for patients receiving palliative care. This study looked at the clinical practice and management of constipation receiving specialist palliative care (SPC). A multi-site retrospective case note review was carried out consisting of 150 patient case notes from 3 inpatient SPC's across the UK. The findings showed that constipation management is driven by a pharmacological approach with little evidence of implementation of preventative and non pharmacological management. The nurse plays a key co-ordinating role in assessment, however involvement and roles of the wider MDT varies. They concluded further education is needed to equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to ensure consistency in assessment and implementation of preventative/non pharmacological strategies.
McIlfatrick, S. et al. 2019. Examining constipation assessment and management of patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care: a multisite retrospective case note review of clinical practice. BMC Palliative Care.
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