Take a survey to help faecal incontinence research

Faecal incontinence, or bowel accidents/leakages, are a common, embarrassing condition which can affect up to 70 per cent of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) during their lifetime. The stigma associated with it can lead to a ‘silent affliction’ and is often under-reported whilst having significant impact on an individual’s quality of life. Despite this, medical research into the causes of FI, and its treatment, is currently limited.

The Pelvic Floor Society, in collaboration with the James Lind Alliance, are for the first time running a research prioritisation project to bring together patients, carers, charities and healthcare professionals to define the ‘Top 10’ research priorities for faecal incontinence. By addressing these priorities with future research studies, we hope to improve the lives of those experiencing faecal incontinence across the United Kingdom.

Earlier this year we asked individuals to tell us what questions they would like to see answered about FI and received a fantastic response with over 1000 submissions. All these responses from a mixture of patients, carers, and healthcare professionals have now been analysed and used to generate a list of summary questions which could be answered by research. Now we need your help to decide which are most important to you and should therefore be answered by future research.

If you or someone you care about is affected by difficulty with bowel control, or if you work in healthcare, we want to hear from you. Click the link below to access our anonymous survey to choose your most important questions about faecal incontinence

https://bit.ly/FIPriorities