Experiences from practice: using a stoma output absorbent cartridge.

Having a stoma is a life-changing event, and it can be an overwhelming and difficult experience. It may be very challenging managing stoma care in certain occasions and, without the proper support, this could affect patient's quality of life negatively. This is especially important when patients are faced with complex stomas, which may make stoma care problematic. Therefore, these patients require extensive postoperative support from skilled stoma nurses as their experience, continuous support, and knowledge of different products, including new innovative products, is essential in supporting stoma patients. This article explores the successful use of an innovative stoma output absorbent cartridge to improve patients' quality of life, restore confidence, reduce anxiety, empower them to self-care and effectively manage overactive stomas during appliance change, as well as potentially avoiding delays in hospital discharge, reducing waste of stoma products, and facilitating stoma complication management procedures and training in new stoma patients.

Implementing digital technology during the pandemic: impact on stoma nursing services at a tertiary referral centre.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the greatest challenges to the NHS, creating turmoil in the public health workforce and for all of those who use its services. Its immediate impact was a rapid change in how care in the NHS is planned, delivered and accessed, with no concession for stoma care services. Investment in global resources detailing COVID-19 recovery plans and the steady increase in national data related to the transmission and treatment of the virus has allowed stoma care nurses to better understand the long-term effects of the pandemic and mitigate future risk to specialist nursing services. This article describes how this crisis has provided an opportunity to radically change systems and processes in stoma care through the use of digital technology to continue interaction with patients, communicate with the multidisciplinary team and collaborate with relatives or carers, and as a platform to enhance personal development, training and education.