Assessing absorbent products’ effectiveness for the prevention and management of incontinence-associated dermatitis caused by urinary, faecal or double adult incontinence: A systematic review

Objective: Adults who suffer from incontinence are at substantial risk of developing incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). In healthcare settings, several interventions have been implemented to prevent or manage IAD, and several absorbent products have been developed for incontinent patients; however, there is no systematic review that has reported on which absorbent products are effective for the prevention or management of incontinence-associated dermatitis. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the effectiveness of absorbent products in the prevention and management of IAD. Methods: MEDLINE (1946–August 31, 2020), CINAHL (1982–August 31, 2020), and Cochrane Library (August 31, 2020) were searched for relevant articles. Results: Eight studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review, including two randomized controlled trials that were designed to evaluate the efficacy of absorbent products on the prevention or management of incontinence-associated dermatitis. Quality of evidence was assessed as low or very low. The findings revealed that some outcomes related to IAD prevention or improvement of IAD can be positively affected by the introduction of a new absorbent product or a difference in the frequency of pad changing, which can control the overhydration of the skin. Conclusions: The studies included in this review indicated that the problem of control of overhydration of the skin associated with urine and/or faeces can be controlled by absorbent products and these products may be effective for the prevention or management of incontinence-associated dermatitis. Future research with high-quality studies is required.