Use of a Novel Stool Scoring System for Assessing Bowel Habits and Laxatives use Amongst Older People-A Pilot Study in Kingston, Ontario

Abstract

Background: Constipation is a common complaint in the care of elderly in long term care facility. The Bristol Stool Chart (BSC) has been the gold standard for describing the form and consistency of bowel motions but is limited as a descriptive qualitative tool.Objective: To pilot the feasibility of a novel stool scoring system in quantitative analysis of bowel motions and their texture.Methods: 100 medical records were randomly selected from a local long-term care facility to extract descriptions of bowel movements and stool textures in the previous 7 days. A novel numeric stool score of +3 to -3 for each documented bowel motion and a cumulative value was obtained. Such score was recorded against the total cost of treatment. Results:In the period studied, there was no significant difference in the mean bowel motions, the cumulative stool score and costs of laxative treatment between the male and female population.