A service evaluation of the use of silicone-based adhesive remover

Evidence-based practice has become a priority for nurses, but until the publication of Caring for Stoma Patients, Best Practice Guidelines (Clinimed Resource for Education and Specialist Training, 2006), there was very little evidence published for many aspects of stoma care nursing. This document provides best practice information for many specific areas of stoma care, but there is still a lack of evidence on which clinical decisions regarding subjective issues can be based. As a result, the stoma care department at St George's Healthcare NHS Trust undertook a study on the use of a silicone-based adhesive remover. Dykes (2001) highlights the trauma that can occur as a result of skin stripping during pouch removal. The use of a silicone-based adhesive remover allows for the rapid and painless removal of a stoma pouch without the associated problems of skin stripping (Cutting, 2006). Results from the study conclude that patients experience great benefit from the use of a silicone-based adhesive remover and that all patients should be offered the use of one.