Understanding pelvic floor dysfunction and its relevance to colerectal nursing

Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is a common condition affecting one−third of the adult female population. The condition is associated with multiple problems of the pelvic floor including faecal incontinence, obstructed defaecation, prolapse, urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction. PFD is associated with stigma, embarrassment and a delay in seeking medical help. Nationally there are gaps in the provision of women′s healthcare services with functional (benign) conditions such as PFD having very low, or possibly no, priority when compared with cancer services. It is often the nurse in whom patients confide these ‵embarrassing′ symptoms; without a nursing understanding of the complexity of the problem, women will continue to have their symptoms treated in isolation. The nurse is fundamental in the drive to develop specific PFD services ensuring that women receive the multiprofessional input they require. Equally the nurse is pivotal in ensuring that women who present to nurse−led services receive holistic assessment, thus allowing women to discuss and receive support for symptoms or problems which they might have considered not worthy of medical help.