The nurse is caring for a patient on the medical-surgical unit. The patient states, I really ...

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Part of the confusion about bowel function is that there is a wide range of normal. The frequency of BMs may range from several times per day to once a week. As long as the person passes stools without excessive urgency (needing to rush to the toilet), with minimal effort and no straining, without blood loss, and without the use of laxative, you can regard bowel function as normal. The best responses by the nurse are therefore the ones that provide the patient with the most information. Although telling a patient there is no such thing as normal and all people are different is not incorrect, it does not provide the patient any information regarding what constitutes normal as far as number of BMs, what they should look like, defecation without much straining, and so on. Moreover, that statement advises the patient not to worry about it, which is condescending and negates feelings.