Faecal elimination

Nurses are frequently involved in assisting people with elimination problems. These problems can be embarrassing to the individual and can cause considerable discomfort. Some older adults may become preoccupied with their bowels. People who have had a bowel movement once a day for 75 years can view missing one day as a serious problem. Elimination of the waste products of digestion is the passage of faecal material that remains in the colon following the digestion and absorption of nutrients and fluids which are required for maintenance of metabolic health. The excreted waste products are referred to as faeces or stool.