Conservative management of fecal incontinence.

OVERVIEW Although fecal incontinence can be both emotionally and socially debilitating, the embarrassment associated with it is so great that it often prevents patients from seeking much needed help from their health care providers. Nursing care begins with case finding and continues through conservative management, which has greatly improved over the past 15 years. This article summarizes the strategies that have proven most effective in uncovering and combating this prevalent yet seldom acknowledged condition. KEYWORDS : defecation, diarrhea, fecal incontinence, feces, incontinence, incontinence of stool.