Supporting Safe Bowel Care and Elimination

Course Overview

Develop the practical knowledge needed to safely support a person with bowel care and elimination, including preventative strategies, bowel management plans, laxatives, suppositories and enemas.

Why take this course?

Bowel support can be a very personal part of someone’s daily care. Providing that support well means understanding the person’s individual needs while maintaining their privacy, dignity and comfort.

Support workers need to understand both the preventative and management strategies outlined in the person’s individual plan. This may include supporting adequate fluid intake, a high-fibre diet and regular physical activity, as well as following prescribed bowel management strategies.

This course explores the practical responsibilities involved in supporting bowel elimination, including the use of oral and non-oral laxatives, suppositories and enemas where these form part of the person’s plan.

You’ll also learn the importance of monitoring bowel health, accurately recording and reporting information, recognising changes from the person’s usual pattern and knowing when signs or symptoms require further medical review.

Important Disclaimer

This course is provided for information and educational purposes only. It is designed to increase your understanding of the topic and provide theoretical knowledge to support your professional development.

Upon successful completion, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. This certificate confirms that you have completed the learning content and any associated assessments within this course. It is not a formal qualification, nationally recognised certification, licence, or accreditation, and it does not, on its own, demonstrate practical competency or authorise you to perform workplace tasks.

This course provides the theoretical knowledge required to support safe manual handling practices. It is not a substitute for practical workplace training, supervised competency assessments, organisation-specific policies and procedures, or workplace-specific manual handling instruction.

Where practical skills are required, learners must complete any additional hands-on training, workplace induction, competency assessments, and ongoing supervision required by their employer or applicable legislation.

It is the responsibility of each learner and their employer to ensure that all work is carried out in accordance with current workplace policies, relevant legislation, applicable Australian Standards, and industry best practice.

By undertaking this course, you acknowledge and agree that the Certificate of Completion is evidence of participation only and should not be relied upon as proof of professional competence or eligibility to perform manual handling tasks without appropriate workplace training and assessment.