Constipation screening
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Eiman Ghaffarpasand, M.D. [2]
Overview
According to the USPSTF, screening for constipation is not recommended in general population. In palliative care patients, screening for constipation by specific questionnaire about subjective and objective findings is recommended.
Screening
- According to the USPSTF, screening for constipation is not recommended in general population.
- In palliative care patients, screening for constipation by specific questionnaire about subjective and objective findings is recommended.[1]
- The screening questionnaire is composed of 5 questions, as following:[1]
| Group | Question | Answer interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms | Do you have pain, discomfort or a sensation of incomplete evacuation when having a bowel movement? | Positive response reflects constipation |
| Please indicate the degree of ‘‘discomfort or difficult with constipation’’
0=None 10=Maximum discomfort |
Higher scores reflect more constipation severity | |
| Signs | On average: How many bowel movements per week do you estimate you have had over the last 3 weeks? | < 3 movements reflects constipation |
| Please indicate the usual hardness of your bowels.
Hard, soft or normal? Are they runny or pasty? |
Hard consistency reflects constipation | |
| Fecal impaction | Fecal impaction defined as the accumulation of hard feces in the rectum that would require unusual effort to evacuate, such as manual extraction, repetitive enemas, or intensive oral use of laxatives. | Positive response reflects constipation |