RESEARCH with patients struggling to control and live with continence problems put a Gwent nurse consultant on a UK award shortlist.

Karen Logan, head of continence services at Gwent Healthcare Trust, is one of two finalists from 200 entries in a Nursing Standard Nurse Awards category.

For many patients, intermittent self-catheterisation is the only way to overcome taboo continence problems that can ruin or severely restrict lives.

Mrs Logan, helped by a £5,000 trust research grant and support from Cardiff University's School of Nursing Studies, collected the views and experiences of 15 patients, aged 33-81, who must catheterise themselves in order to maintain a normal pattern of life.

She used their stories to help shape new policies and guidance for nurses teaching patients how to perform the procedure, her work finding an audience way beyond Wales.

"Patients talked about their journeys through our services, how that experience and the conditions they live with affect their lives," said Mrs Logan.

"Embarrassment, frustration and shame are big factors. Issues such as privacy and dignity, how patients perceive the nurses, and the communication skills, attitudes, and teaching of the nurses are very important to them.

"Nurses' specialist skills are really valued by patients, who may have to self-catheterise three or four times a day.

"Their conditions often severely restrict their lives. It took some several years to normalise the self-catheterisation procedure, but for most it settled down and improved painful and awkward symptoms.

"But they reluctantly accept it, and always find it a bit upsetting.

"It was good to reflect on and improve current practice, and the beauty of it was using patients' voices and being able to share the work nationally."

Mrs Logan's research appeared in nursing journals like the globally-respected Journal of Advanced Nursing.

"Judges in the innovations in continence care award category said it shows the value of the nurse consultant role," said Mrs Logan.

Winners of the Royal College Of Nursing publishing company-backed awards will be announced on March 27.