Virtual Postoperative Visits for New Ostomates

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Digital Health
• Patient Care

Background:

• Postoperative education and traditional follow-up care leave a gap for new ostomates.
• New ostomates require significant resources post-discharge, highlighting a need for accessible support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of virtual postoperative visits for ostomates.
• To identify patient-centered issues addressed during virtual visits.
• To evaluate patient satisfaction with virtual ostomy care.

Main Methods:

• A pilot project involving 10 new ostomates attending two virtual visits via video conferencing.
• Data collection through patient satisfaction surveys and content analysis of video interactions.
• Descriptive statistics analyzed survey data; content analysis examined interaction themes.

Main Results:

• All 10 patients completed two virtual visits successfully from home.
• Ninety percent of patients found virtual visits beneficial for ostomy management and supported their inclusion in discharge plans.
• Patients expressed comfort with the virtual format, with common discussion themes including pouching and skin irritation.

Conclusions:

• Virtual postoperative visits are a feasible and effective method for supporting new ostomates.
• High patient satisfaction indicates virtual visits should be considered a standard component of ostomy discharge planning.
• Further research should focus on scaling virtual visit implementation for ostomy care.