The Big Picture
The digestive system breaks down food so the body can absorb it. It also removes solid waste from the body.
Digestive system disorders affect different parts of this system. Some cause pain, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, or bleeding. Others affect organs such as the liver or gallbladder.
For a CCA, support often includes keeping the client comfortable, following the care plan, observing changes, reporting concerns, recording required information, and treating the client with respect.
Look for Nova Scotia CCA Notes throughout this page for current provincial guidance.
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:
- Vomiting creates an aspiration risk, so positioning and observation matter.
- Digestive disorders differ in their causes, symptoms, and treatments.
- Celiac disease requires following the client’s care plan for diet.
- Crohn’s disease can cause serious flare-ups and needs careful observation, recording, and reporting.
- Digestive symptoms can feel embarrassing for clients, so empathy, respect, and confidentiality matter.
- Report important changes and observations according to the supported care directions.
Jump to:
Course Notes: Key Ideas You Need to Know
Vomiting
Vomiting, also called emesis, means stomach contents are expelled through the mouth. Vomiting can signal illness or injury that may become life-threatening.
Vomited material is called vomitus. A client can inhale vomitus into the lungs. This is called aspiration, and it can block the airway. Vomiting a large amount of blood can also lead to shock.
What to Do When a Client Vomits
Follow these measures:
- Follow Standard Practices.
- Turn the client’s head well to one side to help prevent aspiration.
- Place a kidney basin or another container under the client’s chin.
- Remove vomitus from the client’s immediate surroundings.
- Provide oral hygiene to remove the unpleasant taste.
- Remove odours.
- Change the client’s clothing or linens when needed.
- Observe the vomitus for colour, odour, and undigested food.
- Estimate how much vomitus there is.
- Immediately tell your supervisor that the client vomited and report your observations.
Report: Vomitus that looks like coffee grounds may contain digested blood. This could indicate internal bleeding and must be reported immediately.
The way you estimate or measure vomitus depends on the setting. In the community, you might estimate an amount such as a cupful or plateful, or follow agency rules for small, medium, and large amounts. Some facilities require the amount to be measured and recorded according to facility policy .
Some facilities may also require the vomitus to be kept for observation or laboratory analysis.
Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease
Gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a digestive system disorder. Its cause is unknown.
A muscle band between the esophagus and stomach relaxes at inappropriate times. This lets stomach acid move upward into the esophagus.
The most common symptom is heartburn. Other symptoms include:
- a sour taste in the mouth
- bad breath
- belching
- difficulty swallowing
- pain when swallowing
Treatment usually includes medication. It may also include raising the head of an adjustable bed or placing blocks under the head of the bed so the upper body stays higher than the stomach.
Gallbladder Disease
The gallbladder is a pear-shaped sac that stores bile.
Components of bile can form stones in the gallbladder. These stones can cause inflammation called cholecystitis. Stones can also block the flow of bile into the digestive system.
Symptoms of cholecystitis include:
- severe abdominal pain
- nausea
- vomiting
- jaundice in some cases
Treatment may include surgery and a low-fat diet.
Liver Disease
The liver helps with carbohydrate and protein metabolism. It also produces bile.
Two common liver disorders are hepatitis and cirrhosis. Some liver diseases can be treated successfully with liver transplantation.
Hepatitis
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver.
It may result from:
- bacterial infection
- viral infection
- parasitic infection
- alcohol or drug use
- toxins
- incompatible blood transfusion
- consuming contaminated water or food
- using dirty needles or syringes
- practising unsafe sex
Viruses that cause hepatitis can range from hepatitis A through hepatitis G.
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis develops from persistent liver disease. Normal liver tissue gradually becomes replaced by scar tissue, which affects liver function.
The most common causes listed are alcoholism and hepatitis C virus.
Signs and symptoms include:
- weight loss
- jaundice
- enlarged liver
- fatigue
- fluid collecting in the abdomen
There is no cure for cirrhosis, but treatment can stop further damage.
Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is an inborn metabolic disorder. A person with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten protein.
Gluten is found in:
- wheat
- oats
- barley
Celiac disease affects adults and young children.
Signs and symptoms include:
- abdominal distension
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- muscle wasting
- extreme lethargy
The diarrhea is usually large in volume, foul smelling, and pale in colour.
The only effective treatment described is a gluten-free diet.
CCA action: Follow the client’s care plan for diet. Many foods can contain traces of gluten.
Accurately reporting foods that cause symptoms can help identify foods the client should avoid.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a bowel disorder that causes abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits.
There are two main types:
- IBS with diarrhea
- IBS with constipation
IBS With Diarrhea
A client may have:
- abdominal bloating
- urgency
- frequent loose, watery stools
- mucus in the stool at times
IBS With Constipation
A client may have:
- abdominal bloating
- straining during bowel movements
- hard or lumpy stools
- a feeling that the bowel did not empty completely
Abdominal pain can be severe and is usually relieved after a bowel movement.
The cause of IBS is unknown. Stress is thought to trigger episodes.
Treatment depends on the type of IBS. IBS with diarrhea may be treated with antidiarrheal medication. IBS with constipation may be treated with stool softeners or laxatives. Some clients find that avoiding nonsoluble fibrous foods helps control episodes.
IBS can be stressful and embarrassing. Show compassion when providing care.
You may also be asked to record the client’s food intake to help determine which foods trigger episodes.
Colitis
Colitis means inflammation of the colon.
Signs and symptoms include:
- fever
- pain
- abdominal tenderness
- rectal bleeding
- ulcerations in the colon
Treatment may include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Reducing carbohydrate intake has helped some clients. Surgery may be needed to remove the affected part of the colon.
Crohn’s Disease
Crohn’s disease is a persistent inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. It has periods of flare-ups and periods of remission.
Crohn’s disease can affect people of all ages. Its exact cause is unknown.
It can affect any part of the gastrointestinal system. It most often affects the last part of the small intestine and the large intestine.
The most common symptoms are:
- abdominal pain
- diarrhea
- weight loss
Some clients have bloody diarrhea. A client may have as many as 20 bowel movements in one day.
Persistent inflammation can narrow the intestines and cause a bowel obstruction. A severe obstruction can become life-threatening.
Crohn’s disease can also affect other parts of the body. Complications include:
- skin rashes
- arthritis
- eye inflammation
- mouth ulcers
- anemia
Treatment and Remission
During a flare-up, treatment usually includes medication to reduce inflammation and infection when infection is present.
During remission, treatment focuses on building the client’s physical and mental ability to cope with another flare-up.
There is no cure for Crohn’s disease. This fact can be difficult for clients to accept.
What the CCA Should Observe, Record, and Report
Crohn’s disease affects each client differently. Careful observation, recording, and reporting are especially important during a flare-up.
Important observations described include:
- vomiting
- fever
- pain around the anus
- joint pain
- bowel movement colour
- approximate amount of each bowel movement
- visible blood in the stool
Vomiting or fever could mean a bowel obstruction. Pain around the anus could indicate inflammation or the beginning of an abscess. Joint pain could be the beginning of arthritis associated with Crohn’s disease.
Record: Record the colour and approximate volume of every bowel movement. Describe whether blood is visible.
During a flare-up, clients may lose weight because of decreased food intake and malabsorption.
CCA action: Follow the client’s care plan for dietary intake.
Diverticular Disease
Diverticular disease is common in older people. Small pouches develop and bulge outward through weak areas in the colon. Each pouch is called a diverticulum.
Diverticulosis means the condition of having these pouches.
Diverticulitis occurs when feces enter the pouches and the pouches become inflamed and infected.
Signs and symptoms of diverticulitis include:
- pain and tenderness in the lower left abdomen
- fever
- nausea and vomiting
- chills
- cramping
- constipation
A client may also have bloating, rectal bleeding, frequent urination, and pain while urinating.
Serious Complications
A pouch can rarely rupture. When this happens, feces can spill into the abdomen and cause a severe, life-threatening infection.
A pouch can also cause an intestinal obstruction. This blockage prevents feces and gas from moving past it.
These conditions require surgery.
A low-fibre diet and constipation are risk factors for diverticular disease.
Treatment may include dietary changes and antibiotics. Severe disease, intestinal obstruction, or a ruptured pouch may require surgery to remove the affected part of the bowel. A colostomy is sometimes necessary.
Supporting a Client With a Digestive System Disorder
Digestive problems can cause embarrassment or frustration, especially when a client needs to burp or release gas.
Use Empathy and Respect
Listen to the client and speak with empathy . This shows respect for the client.
Support Comfort
Use supported pain-reducing comfort measures.
Keep the surface where the client sits or lies:
- clean
- dry
- free of wrinkles
Report and record pain or discomfort. The client’s comfort and medication should follow the care plan.
Keep a clean commode chair available when necessary.
Protect Confidentiality
Must: Always follow confidentiality rules.
Never discuss the client or information about the client with anyone who is not involved in the client’s care.
Nova Scotia CCA Note
Sorrentino’s Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker, 5th Edition teaches CCAs to observe changes, report concerns, record required information, and follow the care plan. Current Nova Scotia standards give this role a more specific boundary.
In Nova Scotia, a CCA uses an observational point-of-care assessment to watch the person and the environment before, during, and after care. The CCA uses these observations to recognize changes that need to be escalated to a supervisor. This is not a nursing assessment and does not give the CCA authority to complete the comprehensive evaluation used to make care-planning decisions.
Nova Scotia standards also state that CCAs document specified daily care interventions according to the care plan, employer policies, and employer documentation guidelines.
Why this matters in Nova Scotia: When you see observation, reporting, or documentation in CCA study material, remember that the CCA observes and escalates changes within the care plan rather than performing a nursing assessment.
Official source: Continuing Care Assistant Occupational Standards of Practice (novascotiacca.ca)
Last checked: October 3, 2026
Exam Clue Words
- Immediately: Report when a client vomits and include your observations. Coffee-ground-looking vomitus must also be reported immediately.
- Must: Follow the care plan for a client’s diet when the client has celiac disease.
- Record: During a Crohn’s flare-up, record bowel movement colour, approximate volume, and whether blood is visible.
- Follow the care plan: Follow the client’s care plan for dietary intake.
- Never: Do not discuss the client or client information with people who are not involved in the client’s care.
Fast Review
Use these points for a quick review before a quiz or exam:
- The digestive system breaks down food for absorption and removes solid waste.
- Vomiting creates an aspiration risk. Turn the client’s head well to one side and report vomiting and your observations.
- Coffee-ground-looking vomitus may contain digested blood and must be reported immediately.
- GERD allows stomach acid to move upward into the esophagus. Heartburn is its most common symptom.
- Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder and may occur when gallstones form.
- Cirrhosis involves liver tissue being replaced by scar tissue.
- Celiac disease involves an inability to tolerate gluten protein. Follow the client’s dietary care plan.
- IBS has two main types, IBS with diarrhea and IBS with constipation.
- Crohn’s disease causes flare-ups and remissions. Observation, recording, and reporting are important during flare-ups.
- Diverticulosis means having small pouches in the colon. Diverticulitis occurs when the pouches become inflamed and infected.
- Report and record pain or discomfort according to supported care directions.
- Protect the client’s confidentiality and use empathy when providing support.
Final Pep Talk
There are several digestive disorders here, and many of the names sound similar at first. Focus on what makes each condition different, then review the CCA actions and reporting points a second time. That gives you a much cleaner way to remember the material.