Pharmacy Continence Care - Bladder and Bowel Website

1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background and rationale
Incontinence is a significant health issue that affects women and men of all ages and
backgrounds, as well as children, with physical, social and economic implications for the
individual, carers and the community.
Incontinence is a common health problem affecting over 2 million Australians, affecting one
in 10 Australians, including up to 40 per cent of people over 75 years. Many more Australians
are affected by the condition as carers of people with urinary or faecal incontinence.
Despite the prevalence of incontinence and the considerable impacts bladder and bowel
problems have on the health and wellbeing and cost of living of the individual with
incontinence, their family and carers, it is estimated that less than 50 per cent of people
affected seek help. This common condition is one of the biggest health issues in the
Australian community, affecting more than two million Australians. The Continence
Foundation suggests that:
• 60-70 per cent of those affected could be cured or much better managed
• an estimated 50 per cent of people affected do not discuss their incontinence, even with
their GPs
• incontinence is one of the three major causes (along with mobility and dementia) for
admittance to an aged care home.
In 2001 the Department of Health and Ageing, under the National Continence Management
Strategy, funded the Hunter Continence Awareness Project. Partners for that project
included The Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the Continence Foundation of Australia. A
model of coordinated care amongst GPs, pharmacists, continence nurses and other health
professionals was developed.
There are about 5,000 community pharmacies and it is estimated that about 400,000 people
visit a community pharmacy each day. Pharmacies therefore are positioned to become, and
be recognised, as the most commonly access health service provider with the capacity to
promote continence awareness and to offer support and/or referral to individuals with
incontinence symptoms who have not sought diagnosis, advice or treatment.
Pharmacy and consumer awareness, together with effective information, advice and referral
of people with incontinence symptoms and/or their carers, has the potential to reduce
significantly the extent to which incontinence remains under-reported, with consequent
benefits to the quality of life of individuals with incontinence, and their families and carers,
and to the cost impacts of incontinence on government services.
In 2003, the Pharmacy Guild commissioned developmental work towards the establishment
of a national Pharmacy Continence Care Program, through the Research and Development
Grants Program, which was funded as part of the third Community Pharmacy Agreement
between the Commonwealth and the Pharmacy Guild of Australia. Two stages in the
development of this program have been commissioned.
Stage 1 of the Pharmacy Continence Care Program was undertaken in 2003 by the
Continence Advisory Service of WA Inc. This project included a literature review with the
brief to identify current best practice in continence care in community pharmacies in
Australia and internationally and to research and develop pharmacy continence care resource
Final Report
1
NOVA Public Policy
Pharmacy Continence Care Project