While inspecting a patient's stool, a nurse notices that the stool appears fluffy, is floating on the water, and has a foul odor. The nurse identifies this type of stool as

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The described stool characteristics indicate steatorrhea, which is caused by excess fat content in the stool due to malabsorption in the intestines. This often leads to fluffy, floating, and foul-smelling stools. Tenesmus refers to a feeling of incomplete bowel movement, effluence refers to the discharge of fluid, and melena refers to black, tarry stools due to upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

While Inspecting a Patient's Stool, a Nurse Notices That the Stool