Nurses should encourage patients to avail
themselves of appropriate resources over the course
of their chronic condition and to seek continuity of
care when possible—making appointments with providers
who are both knowledgeable in the area of
incontinence and well acquainted with their particular
concerns and circumstances. If self-management
techniques fail or incontinence increases, patients
should feel comfortable further investigating their
symptoms with a familiar provider or continence
resource service. As the patient gains confidence
in self-monitoring and becomes more proficient at
recognizing changes in symptoms, self-efficacy in
decision making about resource use is likely to increase.