Ostomy Management

B Janis E. Harrison, RN, BSN, CWOCN, CFCN

My husband was insistent that I go home the first night he was on the surgical floor. He had a roommate, therefore the hospital policy forbade me to stay the night with him.

By Janis E. Harrison, RN, BSN, CWOCN, CFCN

My husband Daryl had gone in to a same-day surgery center for incisional hernia repair and possible "tummy tuck" after losing 85 pounds. We had searched for a good surgeon and opinions on any complications that might need to be considered, since Daryl had an ileostomy. We discussed whether or not mesh should be used, infection possibilities, and if he should have the skin tucked that was now loose from weight loss. One surgeon was not sure he wanted to tackle the task and possible complications. Another surgeon just said "sure, I can do that." Well, of course we wanted a competent surgeon; one with confidence and a little arrogance, but then, this was just a "simple" incisional hernia repair, right? WRONG!

By Lindsay D. Andronaco RN, BSN, CWCN, WOC, DAPWCA, FAACWS

Public policy is an aspect that affects every day practice for most wound, ostomy and continence nurses, but is something that we do not generally think about. One health policy topic that is in the forefront of my mind is how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is looking to change the process for how patients access or DME products. This change in public policy would affect the access of these necessary products to our patients.

By Janis E. Harrison, RN, BSN, CWOCN, CFCN

My Path to Becoming a Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse

"What did I get myself into?" There were several times over the first 10 years of my 20 year marriage to a person with an ostomy that I had to ask myself that question. Then came the revelation of the old saying "if you can't beat 'em…. join 'em." I decided that after major problems my spouse had with several surgeries – which included ostomy revisions, fistulae, abscesses, and surgical wounds – I would need to learn much, much more if I was going to spend the rest of my life with my husband, Daryl, and his maladies.

By Karen Zulkowski DNS, RN, CWS

I previously discussed the need for a complete head-to-toe skin assessment. Certainly this can tell you whether or not the person is dehydrated, has open or discolored areas, and many other things about their overall health. Color, for example, can give you clues to additional problems such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can show on the skin.

By Karen Zulkowski DNS, RN, CWS

All medical personnel strive to provide care based on the strongest available evidence. Yet how many of us provide culturally competent care? Culturally competent care is defined as having specific cognitive and effective skills that are essential for building culturally-relevant relationships between patients and providers.¹ We may know about local customs but in today’s global world our patients may be from a different area of the world. So how would you react if your Asian patient wanted to use non-traditional medicine or your patient of the Sikh faith refused to remove their underpants prior to surgery?

By Joy Hooper RN, BSN, CWOCN

A person with a colostomy has several options as to how they choose to manage their ostomy. The choice of which pouch is only the beginning when choosing the route they want to use to manage their stoma output. In this video, I will provide an overview of colostomy irrigation. For more resources on colostomy irrigation, see the UOAA website at www.ostomy.org . Other online groups and forums include “STOMACITY” or “COLONTOWN” on Facebook and www.meetanostomate.com.

By Joy Hooper RN, BSN, CWOCN

Welcome to the third vlog in the series "GI Didn't Know That." In this video I will explain two more ostomy procedures: a "Loop Ostomy" and a "Double Barrel Ostomy." Both of these surgeries can be done as a temporary or permanent procedure.

By Joy Hooper RN, BSN, CWOCN

There are various types of urinary diversions. One of the most common urinary diversions is the ileal conduit. The ileal conduit actually borrows a segment of bowel to create the stoma, causing the patient to undergo surgery on the GI tract as well as the urinary system. An ileal conduit is an incontinent urinary diversion and will require the use of an external pouch.