bowel eliminations

what should you ask about a patient's usual bowel routine?

regularity, how often, color, hard or soft, pain

what questions help assess changes in bowel habits?

loose stools or diarrhea, recent travel to a foreign country in the last 6 months

what medications should you ask about when assessing bowel history?

laxatives, stool softeners, enemas, iron tablets

what effect can iron tablets have on stool?

constipation and black stools

what rectal symptoms should you ask about?

itching, pain, burning, hemorrhoids, fissures, fistulas

what family history is relevant to bowel and rectal assessment?

polyps, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, prostate cancer

what self-care behaviors should be assessed regarding bowel health?

high-fiber foods, water intake, last rectal exam, stool blood test, colonoscopy, psa test

what does a psa blood test screen for in males?

prostate cancer

what should you assess regarding the last bowel movement?

date/time, color, consistency

what abdominal findings should be checked during bowel assessment?

abdominal tenderness, bowel sounds

what should you assess when a patient has diarrhea?

frequency, color, consistency, odors, abdominal tenderness, bowel sounds

what does extremely odorous, uncontrollable, watery diarrhea after antibiotic use suggest?

c. difficile infection

what symptoms should you assess for constipation?

straining, blood, abdominal distention or firmness, bowel sounds

how do bowel sounds change with constipation?

increased bowel sounds

what preparation is required before an occult blood/guaiac stool test?

avoid red meat for 3 days

what does black tarry stool indicate?

gi bleed or iron use

what does bright red blood in stool usually indicate?

hemorrhoids or rectal tear

what causes clay-colored stool?

absent bile pigment

what organ stores and releases bile?

the gallbladder

what does pale yellow, greasy stool indicate?

steatorrhea (fatty stools)

what does floating stool suggest?

excess fat in stool

what does flatulence refer to?

gas

what does brown stool indicate?

normal stool due to bile pigment

what does green stool indicate?

food moving too quickly through intestines or eating green foods/coloring

what does yellow stool indicate?

excess fat, possible malabsorption disorder (e.g., celiac)

what does black stool indicate?

internal bleeding, iron supplements, or bismuth meds

what does light-colored, white, or clay-colored stool indicate?

bile duct obstruction or certain medications

what does red or blood-stained stool indicate?

possible cancer or bleeding—needs evaluation