A Novel Approach to Simplifying Ostomy Management

A Novel Approach to Simplifying Ostomy Management

Problem: Ostomy care can be time consuming and costly. The substantial number of patients requiring such specialized care and with having a small number of WOCNs the majority of the ostomy care is provided by non-specialized nurses (Beitz et al 2010)  Having  multiple supply options can be confusing for both the nurse and the patient. In the process of determining what best meets the patient’s needs, wastefulness occurs due to trial and error to achieve proper appliance fit. Also, improper selection of appliances that are ill-fit and leak cause skin issues. This leads to unfavorable outcomes and higher costs. This challenge was identified in one Long Term Acute Care Hospital and a multidisciplinary solution approach was developed.

 Purpose of the Innovation: During the period of 2009-2010 the use of ostomy supplies was increasing as the medical complexity of the patients increased.  The request for supplies went beyond what was predicted. An investigation was done and the following identified:

 Lack of education and confidence on the part of the nurse providing ostomy care, lack of an organized system to determine the patient’s ostomy needs and accessability of supplies

 Specific outcomes:  The wound care team, ostomy specialist and Materials Management department met and developed goals:

 Education and training for nursing staff, Identify product line to be used across patient population to achieve best clinical outcomes,  Develop a coded system to easily select appropriate patient specific supplies through use of an algorithm, Establish easily accessible  supply of products at all times

 Results: The education program and organized system of ostomy supply allocation went into effect July 2010 with favorable feedback from the clinicians  by written survey and observation of care provided. There was also a financial savings already seen in the first 3 months of the program.