The Big Picture
Elimination is personal and private. A client may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable when accepting help.
Your approach matters. You need to protect the client’s dignity, privacy, independence, preferences, individualized care, and safety while providing assistance.
If a client refuses care, tell your supervisor.
Quick tip: Tap, click, or press Enter on any term with a dotted underline and an ⓘ icon to see its plain-English definition.
Start Here If You’re Overwhelmed
Focus on these core ideas:
- Protect the client’s dignity and never increase embarrassment.
- Respond promptly when a client asks for help with elimination.
- Adapt care to the client’s choices, strengths, limitations, personality, and care plan.
- Respect the client’s preferences whenever possible.
- Provide as much privacy as possible while keeping the client safe.
- Do not leave a client who is weak or dizzy.
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Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
Compassionate Care During Elimination
Elimination is a personal and private activity. Clients may feel embarrassed or uncomfortable when they need assistance.
Try to help the client feel more comfortable about accepting your help. Your responsibility includes promoting:
- dignity
- independence
- individualized care
- preferences
- privacy
- safety
Report: Tell your supervisor if the client refuses care.
Protect the Client’s Dignity
Never do anything that increases a client’s embarrassment.
Always be encouraging and positive while providing care. Do not show disgust about sights or odours related to elimination or ostomy care.
Your facial expressions and other nonverbal behaviours show how you feel. Do not wrinkle your nose or grimace while helping the client.
Never call incontinence products “diapers.” That word can humiliate the client.
Support Independence
Respond promptly to every request for help with elimination. The need may be urgent.
Believe the client when they ask for help, even when they recently used the:
- toilet
- bedpan
- urinal
- commode
Responding promptly helps give the client a sense of control.
Provide Individualized Care
Client-centred care needs to fit the individual client.
Care should be planned or adapted according to the client’s:
- choices
- physical strengths and limitations
- cognitive strengths and limitations
- personality
- care plan
Do not assume the same approach works for every client.
Respect Client Preferences
Respect the client’s preferences whenever possible.
For example, some male clients prefer to use a urinal while sitting up. Others prefer to use it while lying down.
Protect the Client’s Privacy
Provide as much privacy as possible. A lack of privacy may make elimination more difficult for the client.
Ways to protect privacy include:
- pulling privacy curtains
- closing doors
- closing shades and drapes
- asking visitors or family members to leave the room
If the care plan allows it, you may leave the room after helping the client to the bathroom or providing a bedpan, urinal, or commode.
You may also remain nearby so you are immediately available. Depending on the situation, you may:
- stand just outside the door
- stand on the other side of the privacy curtain
- stay beside the client but look away, if it is safe to do so
Ask your supervisor for advice about protecting the client’s privacy when needed.
Keep Safety in Mind
Safety: Do not leave a client who is weak or dizzy.
If you are able to leave the client and a call bell is available, always keep it within the client’s reach.
Stay close enough to hear the client call for help.
Remember to follow Standard Practices.
Exam Clue Words
- Never: Never do anything that increases the client’s embarrassment, and never call incontinence products “diapers.”
- Always: Be encouraging and positive while providing care.
- Do not: Do not leave a client who is weak or dizzy.
- Follow the care plan: Leave the room for privacy only when the care plan allows it.
- Report: Tell your supervisor if the client refuses care.
Fast Review
Focus on the actions and limits that protect the client’s comfort, privacy, independence, and safety.
- Elimination is personal and private, so be sensitive to embarrassment or discomfort.
- Protect dignity by staying positive and avoiding expressions of disgust.
- Never refer to incontinence products as “diapers.”
- Respond promptly when a client asks for help with elimination, even if they recently used the toilet, bedpan, urinal, or commode.
- Individualized care should fit the client’s choices, strengths, limitations, personality, and care plan.
- Respect the client’s preferences whenever possible.
- Provide as much privacy as possible, but leave the client alone only when it is safe and allowed by the care plan.
- Do not leave clients who are weak or dizzy.
- Keep an available call bell within reach when you are able to leave the client.
- Tell your supervisor if the client refuses care, and ask your supervisor for advice about protecting privacy when needed.
Final Pep Talk
There are several details to remember here, but they connect to a few main ideas: dignity, independence, privacy, preferences, and safety. Review those ideas first, then connect each care action to the one it supports.