February
Bladder disorders are common in the Extended Care setting and can impact a resident’s health and well being. With a comprehensive evaluation of the problem, improved bladder function may be possible.
BladderScan® instruments have been used to help long-term caregivers monitor bladder function, identify urinary retention, and design effective toileting assistance and bladder retraining programs.
In patients experiencing acute or chronic urinary retention, diagnosis and treatment can be aided with the use of noninvasive portable ultrasound.
BladderScan® 3D ultrasound instruments help diagnose and monitor urinary retention. They are quick, accurate and easy to use. They can help improve patient outcomes by reducing the duration of urinary catheterization, or avoiding it altogether.1 This can help reduce the rate of catheter-associated UTIs and the complications that can result.2,3
Some models have onboard video tutorials. Measurements can be done by staff - no sonographer is required. Exam results can be printed for physician review or exported to an EHR system.
References: 1. Moore DA, Edwards K. “Using a Portable Bladder Scan to Reduce the Incidence of Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections.” Medsurg Nursing. 1997, 6 (1), 39-43.. 2. Saint S, Lipsky BA. “Preventing Catheter-Related Bacteriuria: Should We? Can We? How?” Archives of Internal Medicine. 159 (26 April 1999): 800-808 3. Cox CE. Nosocomial Urinary Tract Infections. Urology. 32 (Sept. 1988) 3:210-214.
Scheduled voiding programs help long-term caregivers manage patient incontinence. These programs are typically used for those residents who do not respond to staff feedback about incontinence status and verbal prompts to use the bathroom, but who are still able to use the toilet.
Use of a BladderScan instrument can help staff determine a resident’s voiding pattern, and prompt the resident to empty their bladder before an incontinence episode occurs. This may help the resident achieve more independent continence through self-toileting, or enable them to take a more active role in voiding through staff assistance.
New ScanPoint® image management technology gives healthcare professionals a comprehensive view of individual patient exam results from multiple ScanPoint-enabled instruments, allowing quick and easy tracking of treatment progress.
ScanPoint technology provides HIPAA-compliant online storage of patient records and secure EHR connectivity, enabling integration of exam data into patient health records.It also generates PDFs of exam records in multiple formats for patient records or reimbursement.