Implementation of an easy in-hospital educational stoma pathway results in decrease of home nursing care services...

Area of Science:

• Surgical Nursing
• Patient Education
• Stoma Care Management

Background:

• New stoma patients require substantial nursing support during hospitalization and post-discharge home nursing care services (HNCS).
• Discharge planning often involves significant reliance on HNCS for stoma care (SC).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a 4-day in-hospital educational stoma pathway.
• To increase the level of independence (LOI) in stoma care for new stoma patients.
• To reduce the reliance on home nursing care services (HNCS) post-discharge.

Main Methods:

• A prospective 4-day educational stoma pathway was implemented for eligible gastrointestinal surgery patients.
• A retrospective control group of stoma patients predating the pathway was used for comparison.
• Outcomes measured included the need for HNCS for SC and the LOI in SC at discharge.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in daily HNCS for SC was observed, from 80% to 50% (P < 0.001).
• The proportion of patients discharged without needing HNCS for SC increased from 5% to 27%.
• Patient independence in SC at discharge dramatically improved from 8% to 68% (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The 4-day in-hospital educational stoma pathway is a feasible and effective intervention.
• The pathway significantly enhances patient independence in stoma care.
• The intervention leads to a substantial reduction in the need for home nursing care services after discharge.