Implementation of a bowel management program in the treatment of incontinence in children for primary healthcare providers

Abstract

Objectives: Our surgical team has devised a bowel management program (BMP) as a basic approach for primary healthcare providers with the least use of resources. Background: Soiling in children is a major problem that has a serious impact on the child’s social and psychological life. Causes vary from idiopathic constipation to postoperative or neuropathic causes as meningomyelocele. Participants and methods: Seventy five children suffering from fecal incontinence were assessed and divided into true incontinence and pseudoincontinence groups. The BMP was applied to both categories in the form of proper diet control, enemas, drugs, and bowel habit alteration. The program was fashioned according to the age, type, severity, and response of each case. A fecal incontinence scoring system was used to assess the results. Results: All cases with pseudoincontinence attained 50% or more improvement in incontinence score whereas the true incontinence cases attained excellent results except in post high anorectal malformation repairs and neurologic groups. Conclusion: Most of the cases suffering from constipation with pseudoincontinence can be treated properly by BMPs, whereas the minority suffering from true incontinence need multidisciplinary work to achieve acceptable results. Keywords: anorectal malformations, bowel management program, chronic idiopathic constipation, fecal incontinence, Hirschsprung’s diseae