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Complex Bowel Care Course

This course meets the general skills and knowledge outlined in NDIS Practice Standards 2021 and NDIS Skills Descriptor 2022

Learning Objectives

To enable workers to provide complex bowel care (eg. laxatives,

enema) and stoma care

Course Format

5 hour face-to-face workshop with knowledge and skills assessment

Course Structure

  • NDIS Code of Conduct and Practice Standards
  • Scope of support worker responsibilities including supervision and delegation arrangements
  • Roles of carers and key health professionals involved complex bowel management
  • Basic anatomy of the digestive system
  • Relationship between nutrition, hydration, dietary fibre, probiotics, and bowel motions and stoma management


Section 1: Bowel care

  • Common causes of bowel care problems such as constipation and faecal incontinence
  • Purpose and methods of hygiene and infection control
  • Symptoms of bowel-related conditions associated with particular types of disability
  • Common types of bowel care support such as use of laxatives, enemas, suppositories and abdominal massage
  • Practical demonstrations and hands on practice in a simulated environment
  • Requirements for handling, storing and administering bowel care-related medication
  • Bristol Stool Form Scale to observe and record bowel motions, and identify any changes that require action


Section 2: Stoma care

  • Purpose of ileostomy and colostomy stomas and related equipment, and consumables such as stoma bags, skin sealants, barriers or powders.
  • Characteristics of a healthy stoma and how these can change over time.
  • Indicators and action required to respond to common health problems at the stoma site, such as wetness or signs of infection or inflammation.
  • Risks, common problems and troubleshooting
    • Blockage, leakage and deterioration
    • Changes of appearance in urine
    • Skin integrity issues around stoma
    • Poor bowel function
  • Practical demonstrations and hands on practice in a simulated environment
    • Common methods to clean and protect skin around the stoma.
    • Changing and disposal of ileostomy and colostomy bags


  • Signs and symptoms of common problems, and action required for example, reflux, vomiting, stomach pain, changes in bowel habits.
  • Signs and symptoms, and action required in case of autonomic dysreflexia.
  • When and how to involve or get advice/ request review from the appropriate health practitioner
  • Documentation, consent, privacy, confidentiality and incident reporting

Certificate

Statement of competence valid for 1 year

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Student feedback

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