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Stool Ritual: Impact on the Number of Nights Without Stools Among Dependent Residents in Institutions for Dependent Elderly People

Stool Ritual: Impact on the Number of Nights Without Stools Among Dependent Residents in Institutions for Dependent Elderly People

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT03118401
Acronym
RITUELIM
Enrollment
50
Registered
2017-04-18
Start date
2017-07-21
Completion date
2019-10-15
Last updated
2025-07-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Homes for the Aged, Intestinal Elimination

Brief summary

As they age, the intestinal elimination function can be altered by external factors. Sleeping is also a vital need for maintaining health. Sleep time varies with age (from 18h / day for an infant to 7h30 on average for an adult) and sleep disorders increase with age (INSERM source). In our study, the night is from 9 pm to 7 am, corresponding to the working hours of the night shift. Between 42% and 50% of episodes of wakefulness of more than 4 minutes in EHPAD are due to noise, light or the practice of care related to incontinence. 87% of all incontinence care practices have been associated with wake-up episodes. A personalized day care program would allow residents to improve the quality of their sleep by minimizing stools at night and therefore interventions by caregivers. The ritual of stools, can be defined as the set of rules to observe to defecate in good physiological, physical conditions: * Be in a suitable place for intestinal elimination: personal bathroom preferably on the toilet or on a pierced chair that will perhaps be more secure and comfortable with the armrests. The position to be taken is important. * Propose a small bench to put under the feet to raise the knees higher than the hips and increase the abdominal pressure. * Preserve the visual and auditory intimacy of the resident at the time of defecation. Failure to do so may result in the person repressing his desire to defecate. * Allow the resident the time needed on the toilets the doorbell at hand and with the assurance that the caregiver will come back in a short time. Do not press it and do not forget it, privilege the autonomy and check that there is toilet paper. The establishment of the stool ritual is not intended to reduce the amount of stool by day, but it aims to postpone the nighttime exemption on the day, and does not prevent the stool emission to other times of the day or night.

Interventions

OTHERRitual of stool

During the first 4 weeks, data will be collected on an individual stool diary with usual care of the resident After randomization will start the implementation period of ritual of stool. From the stool diary: - will be determined the stool profile of each resident over 1 week and application of the ritual of stool the following week At the end of this second period, data will be collected on an individual stool diary in for 4 weeks

OTHERUsual practice

During the first 4 weeks, data will be collected on an individual stool diary with usual care of the resident After randomization will start 2 weeks without data collection. Patient will be follow in usual practice. At the end of this second period, data will be collected on an individual stool diary in for 4 weeks

Sponsors

University Hospital, Limoges
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

At the end of the first 4 weeks of collection of the data on an individual stool diary with usual care of the resident, a randomization will be carried out dividing the patients according to the following groups: 1. / Experimental group Implementation period: From the stool diary: - determine the stool profile of each resident over 1 week (W5) 2. / Control group: without modification of practices and without data collection from W5 to W6. At the end of this second period, data were collected on an individual stool diary in each of the two groups for 4 weeks

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Dependent elderly people living in institutions for elderly dependents. * GIR 1 or 2 * Residents being able to sit in a seated position on a pierced chair or a safe toilet. * Residents who have lived in the institution for at least 1 month in order to limit the biases due to the change of place of life

Exclusion criteria

* Residents with the physical and cognitive abilities to go to the toilet alone wisely. * Residents with stomies * Residents with a history of intestinal occlusion * Residents participating in another study. * Residents under guardianship or safeguard justice

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of nights with stools during the follow-up periodWeek 10Number of nights with stools during the follow-up period

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Evolution in number of nights with stoolWeek 10Difference in number of nights with stool between initial observation period and follow-up period in each of the 2 randomization groups
Evolution in number of laxative medicationWeek 10Difference in the number of laxative medication between initial observation period and follow-up period in each of the 2 randomization groups
Satisfaction questionaryWeek 10At the end of the study, satisfaction of the caregivers who participated in the implementation of the ritual of stools concerning the interest of this ritual by means of a satisfaction questionary

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 14, 2026