The Road to Independence: Successful USE of Moldable Ostomy Skin Barriers* to IMPROVE Patient OUTCOMES

Objective:  New ostomates have many challenges post-operatively; pain, nausea, as well as the emotional struggles with adjusting to their new body image and lifestyle. As patients come to terms with this, the burden of practical aspects such as learning ostomy care can become overwhelming.   A method that has helped our patients to travel down the road to “independence” again while learning how to manage their ostomy care was to integrate a new ostomy appliance, moldable skin barriers* into our clinical  practice.

Background:  Every client has their own special needs and concerns. For some patients who have difficulty with their fine motor dexterity or remembering the order of a multiple step process there is increased anxiety during a time of a major life style change. Over the years we have tried many different methods to simplify the process for our patients. Many patients are most concerned about cutting the appropriate size and shape opening in the skin barrier to prevent possible leakage and skin irritation.. By using the moldable skin barrier*, patients have quickly felt successful in the mastering of this skill regardless of using the flat or convex wafer.   The security the patients achieved while wearing the moldable skin barrier* has prevented leakage in most cases and they have not experienced skin irritation as when they were had worn a skin barrier that required cutting.

Result:  This poster will present three cases where the significance of incorporating the moldable skin barriers into our clinical practice is clearly demonstrated.

Conclusion:  The skill of changing the ostomy appliance using the moldable skin barriers* while in the ever shortening acute care stay has increased the clients ability and confidence to perform self-care as well as decreased their anxiety level at discharge.