Components of a comprehensive bladder and bowel assessment

A comprehensive bladder and bowel assessment has three major sections:

1. History

• General health history eg medical, surgical, obstetric, current medication
• Presence of symptoms
• Symptom frequency and severity
• Variation between night-time and daytime symptoms
• Factors that bring on symptoms or relieve them.
• Previous treatments tried and effects
• Personal coping strategies for symptom relief and effectiveness
• Fluid and nutrition patterns
• Lifestyle factors
• Perceptions about cause and impact on quality of life and social functioning
• Motivation for and expectations of treatment

2. Clinical assessment

• Bladder diary or frequency volume chart (at least 72 hours)
• Urine analysis
• Post-void bladder scanning for residual urine volume

3. Physical examination

• Abdomen, pelvis, urogenital
• Functioning including mobility and flexibility

In the next two steps, watch our clinicians Janice Reid and Fiona Saunders demonstrate history-taking to assess both a bladder dysfunction and a bowel dysfunction.