In health care, toileting is the act of assisting a dependent

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other hea ...

with his/her elimination needs.

Methods of toileting

Depending on a patient's condition, his/her toileting needs may need to be met differently. This could be by assisting the patient to walk to a

toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human urine and feces, and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting position popu ...

, to a bedside

commode chair A commode chair, known in British English simply as a commode is a type of chair used by someone who needs help going to the toilet due to illness, injury or disability. A commode chair sometimes has wheels to allow easy transport to the bathroom ...

, onto a

bedpan A bedpan or bed pan is a receptacle used for the toileting of a bedridden patient in a health care facility, and is usually made of metal, glass, ceramic, or plastic. A bedpan can be used for both urinary and fecal discharge. Many diseases can ...

, or to provide a male patient with a

urinal A urinal (, ) is a sanitary plumbing fixture for urination only. Urinals are often provided in public toilets for male users in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position. Urinals can be ...

. A more dependent or incontinent patient may have his/her toileting needs met solely through the use of

adult diaper An adult diaper (or adult nappy in Australian English, British English, and Hiberno-English) is a diaper made to be worn by a person with a body larger than that of an infant or toddler. Diapers can be necessary for adults with various conditions, ...

s. Other options are incontinence pads and

urinary catheter In urinary catheterization a latex, polyurethane, or silicone tube known as a urinary catheter is inserted into the bladder through the urethra to allow urine to drain from the bladder for collection. It may also be used to inject liquids used ...

Ambulatory assistance

Some patients can walk with assistance from another person, usually a

health care worker A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...

. Aside from the need for this help, they are capable of meeting their own elimination needs.

Bedpan

Patients who cannot get out of bed easily but who can control their bladder and bowels are able to request a

. The bedpan is placed underneath the patient, who can

urinate Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...

defecate Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging fro ...

as needed. Some patients are able to place their own bedpans under themselves, and assistance is required only to empty them after the fact.

Urinal

A urinal is much like a bedpan but only for a male, the urinal is shaped in a way that the male may use it while still in bed and remain comfortable. The urinal is also often used when input and output (I & O) must be recorded.

Briefs

Incontinent patients often wear

briefs Briefs (or a brief) are a type of short, form-fitting underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where material extends down the thighs. Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric that runs along the pe ...

to prevent their trousers from being stained by their elimination. Briefs must be checked and changed frequently.

Catheter

Catheters, in this sense, are tubes that drain urine from the body. A

Foley catheter In urology, a Foley catheter (named for Frederic Foley, who produced the original design in 1929) is a flexible tube that a clinician passes through the urethra and into the bladder to drain urine. It is the most common type of indwelling urinar ...

, used with men and women, is inserted into the

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...

. An external catheter is attached to the

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...

of a male patient. In the US, while Foley catheters can only be applied by a nurse or physician, external catheters can be attached by a certified nurse assistant.

Collection, measurement, and analysis

Input and output

Input and output (I & O) is the measure of food and fluids that enter and exit the body. Certain patients with the need are placed on I & O, and if so, their urinary output is measured. With self-toileting patients on I & O, or those who are assisted to a regular toilet or portable commode, a receptacle is placed in the toilet bowl that catches all urine that is put out by the patient. This, in turn, is measured by the nursing staff and recorded prior to its disposal. If the patient is using a bedpan, the nursing staff member who empties the bedpan measures the urine prior to its disposal. Urinals usually contain measuring lines providing easy measurement. Urinals are also useful for measuring urine from other sources. Catheters, which are frequently used when it is necessary to measure a patient's output, often have measuring lines on their bags, but these are not considered to be accurate because the bag is floppy. Urine that is emptied from a catheter must be placed in a level container (such as a urinal) in order to be measured.

Bowel movement

In many patients,

bowel movement Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging fro ...

is also measured. In some facilities, it is the standard procedure to record bowel movement of all patients. Bowel movement is generally measured by its size (small, medium, or large), given the amount. Additionally, if a patient has

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...

, this is recorded. A patient who has not had a bowel movement in several days is often given

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

s. Patients who independently toilet themselves often do not report bowel movements, thereby leading them to get laxatives when they do not need them.

Sources

*Foundations of Caregiving, published by the American Red Cross {{Toilets , state=expanded Excretion Incontinence