Practical guidance for nurses caring for stoma patients with long-term conditions

Abstract

As the population ages and the number of people living with a long-term condition grows, it is likely that community nurses may be presented with increasing numbers of people requiring assessment, support, and advice for complex needs. Many of the long-term conditions affect the patient's ability to live and manage aspects of daily life independently and may affect the ability to manage a stoma. The purpose of this article is to consider how long-term conditions affect daily living and stoma care, and make practical suggestions for stoma management. Sources of further help and information for people living with a stoma (ostomates) and a long-term condition have also been included. It is hoped that by reading this article, the nurse will become more familiar with the difficulties with dexterity associated with long-term conditions experienced by ostomates, and how they can be assisted in managing and living as independently as possible.

The Quality of Life of Patients with Colorectal Cancer and a Stoma in China: A Quantitative Cross-sectional Study

“…Employment status and stoma duration affected the concerns related to stoma, sleep, and sexuality and body image domains; these patients might have had a stoma for a long period of time, their stoma baseplate retention time might be relatively longer, and accordingly they may have become used to the stoma and could care for the stoma better themselves. Similar findings have been reported by other studies 19 …”

“…Similar findings have been reported by other studies. 19 Stage of cancer affected concerns related to the stoma and social and family relationships; individuals in early cancer stages with a stoma may have better QOL because the tumor is often close to the anus, are less likely to need chemical treatment or radiation therapy, and have a lower cost burden than with advanced stages of cancer. 20 Financial status affected the sleep and social and family relationships domains; if individuals can afford the costs of care, they and their families experience less anxiety, improving QOL.…”

Plano de alta de enfermagem para estomizados intestinais

“…In this context, it is important that the systematization of care includes teaching the necessary care to both the patient and his/her family/ companion, in order to prepare them to return to social activities and improve their quality of life impact of stoma acquisition. 5,16 Finally, it is verified that the last stage of the nursing process, which consists of the evaluation, aims to judge everything that was implemented and objectified to the stomatized patient. It is intended to observe significant evolution through alterations and responses of the client's health status, and it is considered important also for the nurses' reflection on the quality of their care and documentation of the advances and future needs.…”

“…It is also emphasized the responsibility of the nurse to clarify, to the patient and family, about the surgery and its consequences, as well as other doubts verbalized by them, which include: encouraging self-care; acquisition of appropriate material; skin care and changes; collection bag exchange; food adequacy and legal and social protection, preparing the stomized to face at home. 5,6 It should be stressed that, in this context, Nursing must use its theoretical frameworks to provide a structured and effective planning to the stom-mized and, in this study, the Humanistic Nursing Theory of Paterson and Zderad presents itself as a subsidy, since it supports the practices, aiming at the more humanized care where the Nursing professional can see the EU-subject in need of care and provide assistance directed to their needs. 7 It is justified to prepare this study, based on the assumption of the need to adapt to the process of nursing care to the ostomized individual, who during hospital care is exposed to a lot of information passed through in a nonsystematized way, which hinders the understanding and the processing of the content informative.…”