Just Hit Print: Electronic, Customized Ostomy Information Summaries Enhance WOC Services

To standardize practice and improve communication across the continuum of care, the CWOCN clinical nurse specialists at a NCI designated comprehensive cancer center developed an electronic document detailing specific educational information and individualized equipment summaries for all their ostomy patients.  These ostomy information summaries were developed to fulfill the JCAHO 2008 Standards on Provision of Care to facilitate care, treatment and services continuity as patients are transferred to other facilities or transition to the community.

This document standardizes individual care summaries provided to patients at outpatient CWOCN clinic visits and inpatient discharges throughout the institution.  It captures ostomy patients’ discharge learning and equipment needs for other facilities, home care nurses, patients and their families.  In conjunction with its development, nursing orders were created with electronic import and export capability.

The document was designed to become part of patients’ permanent medical record with printing ability for patient distribution.  It features the ability to document stomal assessments and characteristics, as well as, specific equipment needs including manufacturer names and product numbers.  Inclusion in electronic charts ensures accessibility to all members of the healthcare team.  A ‘push/pull’ icon allows for importation of previously entered data into new documents and export of entered data into general nursing discharge summaries.  Once electronically submitted, it is then available to both inpatient and outpatient CWOCNs for quick, easy reference as patients transition throughout practice areas.

The exploitation of available software applications by CWOCN clinicians to improve documentation, communication and educational material enhances patient care and satisfaction, communication, efficiency and continuity of services.  The CWOCN clinicians identified the opportunity to improve the appearance of the printed document and continue to work with information system specialists to perfect its layout and format.  Staff education, as well as, system evaluation is underway to continue to improve this novel communication process.