Executive Summary: Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada (NSWOCC) Nursing Best Practice...

Enterocutaneous fistulas (ECF) and enteroatmospheric fistulas (EAF) pose significant quality-of-life concerns for patients, and management challenges for the interprofessional healthcare team. In 2009, the Canadian Association for Enterostomal The developed best practice recommendations for the management of ECF. Over time, evidence and practice evolve, and the Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada performed a comprehensive review of the literature and revised the practice recommendation document. The revised recommendations provide evidence-based management guidance for ECF and EAF in the adult population whether in acute care, community/home care, or long-term/residential settings, and are specifically created for nurses. The revised recommendations include organizational support, assessment, nutrition, pharmaceutical management, education, and local fistula management. This article serves as an executive summary for this clinical resource; the full guideline is available at http://nswoc.ca/ecf-best-practices/.