Scanning the Horizon for Patient Needs and New Technologies for Fecal Incontinence

O'Connor, N; Pearson, F; Gill, S; Ghasri, S; Wallace, SA; Thomson, KH

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-94526-7_16

Scanning the Horizon for Patient Needs and New Technologies for Fecal Incontinence

Lookup NU author(s): Nicole O'Connor ORCiD, Dr Fiona Pearson, Sean Gill ORCiD, Dr Soheila Ghasri ORCiD, Sheila Wallace ORCiD, Dr Katie Thomson ORCiD

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This is the authors' accepted manuscript of a book chapter that has been published in its final definitive form by Springer, 2025.

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Abstract

Innovations in healthcare aim to enhance the quality of life and treatment for individuals. Innovative technologies encompass among others, new medicines, medical devices, and care pathways that improve access and patient outcomes. Recent innovations in managing fecal incontinence include wearables, physiotherapy, educational initiatives, and pharmaceutical treatments. Horizon scanning is a research method that is used to systematically identify emerging innovations to anticipate future trends that are likely to be important. This chapter focuses on emerging evidence from a systematic search of technologies in clinical development for diagnosing or treating fecal incontinence. This update builds on a horizon scan first conducted in 2020 and published in 2022. The most recent search identified 196 new records; after screening, 72 were added to the existing 136, resulting in 208 trial records. These records were categorized according to fecal incontinence intervention topics defined by the 6th International Consultation on Incontinence. Commonly studied interventions included pelvic floor muscle training and sphincter exercises (12.0%), electrical stimulation (11.1%), complementary therapies (10.5%), and sacral nerve stimulation (9.6%). Other trials focused on laxatives, educational, and lifestyle interventions. This chapter presents findings related to pharmacological therapies, mechanical devices, and new surgical approaches and stakeholder engagement activities to identify unmet need. This horizon scan highlighted promising advances in managing fecal incontinence, including drug repurposing, new devices, and app-based tools. However, addressing stigma, increasing awareness, and focusing on psychological support are crucial for progress. Stakeholder feedback emphasizes the need for both technological innovation and better education to improve patient outcomes and quality of life.