D. J. Lazar1, P. Healy2, A. Mohamed2, R. M. Freeman3, C. M. Divino1 1Mount Sinai Hospital,Department Of Surgery,New York, NY, USA 2Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,Department Of Clinical Innovation,New York, NY, USA 3Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,Institute For Healthcare Delivery Science, Department Of Population Health Science And Policy,New York, NY, USA
Introduction: Many patients with first time ileostomies and colostomies are at risk for stoma and ostomy-related problems post-discharge, including but not limited to dehydration, leaks, and skin issues that could lead to readmission or have a deleterious impact on quality of life. We implemented a multimodal ostomy self-care curriculum including in-person visits from enterostomal therapists and the American College of Surgeons Ostomy Home Skills Program educational videos in order to increase patients’ mastery in handling their pouches.
Methods: Postoperative patients with new stomas at our institution underwent two or more personalized training sessions with enterostomal therapists and viewed the Ostomy Home Skills Program educational videos. Patients were given unlimited access to the videos as needed to achieve appropriate mastery of pouch-related skills prior to discharge. Patients completed the 22-item validated Stoma Self-Efficacy Scale prior to and following completion of the curriculum.
Results: 34 postoperative adult surgical patients with new stomas underwent the ostomy self-care curriculum and completed both the pre- and post-intervention surveys. Patients reported significant improvement across 100% of the 22 items (p<0.001) surveyed, with 88% of patients demonstrating overall improvement and 65% improving by at least 1 point on the 5-point Likert scale.
Conclusion: The implementation of a multimodal education and self-care curriculum for stoma management increases patients’ comfort and skill in managing their pouches and troubleshooting pouch-related complications. Further research is needed to determine if this translates to shorter postoperative length of stay, post-discharge ostomy-related complications and readmissions, or increased overall patient satisfaction.
