The Initiation of the H.O.P.E. Program: Helping Ostomy Patients Excel through Education, Experience, and Empathy

Ostomy surgery results in a change in a person’s body structure and function resulting in a need for adaptation in various aspects of life. Post operatively prior to discharge from an acute care facility a person who has ostomy surgery needs to learn basic self care skills and begin a process of psychosocial adaptation.  Clinicians from surgical units in an acute care facility identified that there was an opportunity to improve their practice in managing patients who have surgery that result in stoma formation.

 WOC nurse specialist facilitated the development of a taskforce of frontline clinicians. The objective of the taskforce was to establish an ostomy program that would assure that patients post operatively would have a positive initial experience with their ostomy.  Literature search and critique was done to identify evidence based practice in post operative ostomy care. Based on the literature review, three P.I.C.O questions were developed that centered on pre-admission ostomy educational classes, standardized post operative ostomy educational program, and RN staff education.

The ostomy program, H.O. P. E.: Helping Ostomy Patients Excel through Education, Experience and Empathy, was developed. Program included planning and implementation of RN educational Programs, pre admission ostomy classes and post operative teaching program (planned teaching outline, schedule, and standardized patient educational tools) and follow up post discharge patient’s phone calls.

Post implementation of the H.OP.E. Program, RNs had a 74% improvement in knowledge of ostomy care and demonstrated competencies in basic ostomy care skills. Retrospective chart reviews, identifying patterns of ostomy teaching post operatively by RN staff, revealed an improvement in timely initiation of teaching, more comprehensive teaching, and an increase frequencies of patient's return demonstraiton of skills. Post discharge phone calls showed patients had positive initial first experience with their ostomy.