21.1 Facilitation of Elimination Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Perform urinary catheterization, ostomy care, and urine specimen collection
- Manage urinary catheters to prevent complications
- Maintain aseptic or sterile technique
- Explain procedure to patient
- Modify assessment techniques to reflect variations across the life span
- Document actions and observations
- Recognize and report significant deviations from norms
Elimination is a basic human function of excreting waste through the bowel and urinary system. The process of elimination depends on many variables and intricate processes that occur within the body. Many medical conditions and surgeries can adversely affect the processes of elimination, so nurses must facilitate their patients’ bowel and urinary elimination as needed. Common nursing interventions related to facilitating elimination include inserting and managing urinary catheters, obtaining urine specimens, caring for ostomies, providing patient education to promote healthy elimination, and preventing complications. In this chapter, we will discuss the technical skills used to support bowel and bladder function, as well as the application of the nursing process while doing so.