Impacting the Health Literacy of Persons Living with a New Ostomy: An Innovative and Interactive Approach

Topic: The Joint Commission Public Policy Initiative was launched in 2001 with a mission to improve the safety and quality of healthcare provided to the public. (3)  In alignment with this mission, an outbound calling program was developed to provide ongoing information and support to people after ostomy surgery. 

Purpose: Annually, approximately 76,521 new stomas are created in the United States. 97% of a person’s life after surgery (approx 14 years) is spent outside of the care of a professional healthcare provider.(1) Research sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), has found that more than one-third of the patients who left the hospital in need of more care failed to get that care. In a study funded by AHRQ, one of the recommendations included phoning the patient 2 to 3 days after discharge to identify and resolve any problems.(2) Through the outbound calling program, WOCNs are able to reach out to persons with new stomas, providing an educational link to their adaptation post surgery.

Objective: The overall objective of the outbound calling program is to impact the health literacy for individuals after ostomy surgery in position with the initiatives of JCAHO, AHRQ, and other governing bodies.

Outcomes: The outbound calling program has helped promote health literacy and confidence for more than 25,000 people with new stomas since the initiation of the program in January 2008. Call focus includes education about products to meet their needs and to help improve their quality of life, assistance with questions about reimbursement and purchase, and information on advocating support groups. In addition, they are made aware of the availability of a WOCN staff as an ongoing source of professional information. These outcomes will be evidenced by testimonials, customer survey, and other results.