The Lived Experience of Patients with an Ostomy: A Pilot Study on the Effect of Ostomy Pouch Opacity.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of ostomy pouch opacity on the lived experience of patients with ostomies in the postoperative period. METHODS: This qualitative, descriptive phenomenology study used purposive sampling to recruit seven participants who were inpatients in an acute care facility in Central Ontario, Canada, after their first ostomy surgery. Face-to-face, audio-recorded, semistructured interviews were used to collect data regarding patient experience with either a transparent or opaque ostomy pouch. Data were collected between August and November 2019. Audio tapes were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis technique focused on describing patient lived experience. RESULTS: Five themes were discovered: "undercover," "fiscal consideration," "past medical experience," "self-esteem," and "functionality." Most participants focused on appliance functionality over pouch opacity in the immediate postoperative period. However, participants did describe difficulties adjusting to their new stoma and noted that an opaque pouch can improve postoperative comfort. Past exposure to medical devices, particularly in terms of their cost, may impact the decision to use a transparent or opaque pouching system. CONCLUSIONS: Pouching systems that are opaque while still allowing for assessment of the pouching contents and stoma are ideal. When this is not available, providers should consider the patient's wishes to alleviate any psychosocial effects the opacity of the pouching system may have.

The Value of Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: To critically appraise peer-reviewed evidence concerning the value, or implied sense of worth or benefit, of nurses specialized in wound, ostomy, and continence (WOC) care. DATA SOURCES: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses was used to systematically review current literature in a single database from 2009 to the date of search (July 2019). STUDY SELECTION: The initial search retrieved 2,340 elements; 10 studies were retained following removal of duplicate records, title and abstract reviews, and application of the inclusion/exclusion criteria. DATA EXTRACTION: Literature was graded and critiqued with regard to design and research quality and then synthesized using a narrative approach. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine values that WOC nurses demonstrate were identified: improved quality of life for patients, teaching and mentoring, cost reduction, improved efficiency, improved wound outcomes, improved incontinence outcomes, advanced treatments, research, and leadership. CONCLUSIONS: Although current studies suggest that there is value in the WOC nurse role, in all areas of the trispecialty, there is a need for high-quality literature with higher-level designs focused on bias reduction.