PURPOSE:  The purpose of this project was to determine whether an intranet-based WOCN website would improve access to and knowledge of wound, ostomy, and continence care issues. 

OBJECTIVE:  Over the past decade, focus on wound, ostomy, and continence care has intensified due to the growth of the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence specialty, evidence-based practice, legislation, and litigation for wound care.  The Department of Nursing Practice, Education, and Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has identified the need to promote quality wound, ostomy, and continence care.  Therefore, we developed an intranet-based WOCN website to provide greater access to and education of WOC issues (i.e. supplies/products, order numbers, therapeutic/bariatric surfaces, procedures, protocols, contact/consult information, and patient education) as well as a mechanism to communicate with unit-based Skin and Wound Resource nurses.  We also designed an IRB-approved survey to test effectiveness of the education/communication. 

OUTCOMES: We tailored our survey questions to reflect the type of consults that we most commonly received.  We collected the survey data over a 4-month time frame.  We surveyed staff nurses for 2 months before and 2 months after publishing and advertising a WOCN website.  We advertised the website with flyers, stickers, buttons, and demonstrations.  The survey showed improvement in access to and education of most wound, ostomy, and continence issues.  The Skin and Wound Resource nurses expressed positive feedback regarding improved communication from calendar, minutes, articles, and educational ideas.