This week, we're going to focus on another abbreviation that most people are familiar with because I hear it regularly discussed when people have children, especially small babies.
The abbreviation is
BM-- bowel movement
Nurses are always concerned about whether or not our patients have had one because it is a signal of good health. A blocked bowel can cause problems, as can too loose flowing a bowel. Good nursing practice is to know if your patient has had a bowel movement on your shift, or if they have had one on the previous shift.
Although it is normal to go one or two days without a bowel movement it is not common to go longer without one, so this particular item gets its own spot in the output area of a patient's record. Loose bowel movements can lead to problems including, but not limited, infection in patients that have pressure ulcers in their sacral area, and even their hips.
Example
Pt. had BM, soft formed this shift.
Pt. failed to have a BM this shift, abdomen remains soft and non-distended, bowel sounds present.
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