Prescription for excellence: an ostomy clinic

Individuals scheduled for ostomy surgery and those with a new or established stoma benefit from the services of a Certified Ostomy Care Nurse or Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse provided in an ostomy clinic. The clinic can provide pre- and postoperative services as well as long-term holistic care. Developing a clinic requires an organized and well thought-out plan that identifies unmet patient needs to justify the importance of this ambulatory service to facility administrators. The plan should include configuring and preparing the area where care will be provided, advertising the services offered, and determining hours, staff, policies, and procedures with particular attention paid to facility and regulatory specifications. After establishing a clinic in a large, urban, acute care hospital, patient visits averaged 33 per month and the scheduled 6 hours per week of clinic time needed to be expanded to meet the needs of those requesting appointments. Once established, patient outcomes and provider satisfaction should be recorded. Certified Ostomy Care Nurses and Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurses have a responsibility to inform their patients about the ostomy clinic option when it is available and clinic clinicians should continue to share the results of their efforts to proliferate the ostomy clinic concept.