Using Videotaping on a Smart Device to Reinforce Ostomy Education before Discharge

Problem: According to the literature, early discharges have been favored to improve readmission and reduce mortality rate (Silow-Carroll,S., Edwards,J., & Lashbrook,A., 2011).To facilitate this process, health care professionals need to incorporate effective teaching strategies for the client’s education and coordinate care within the healthcare continuum. As the length of stay (LOS) becomes increasingly shorter at this Cancer Center, the wound ostomy continence nurse (WOC nurse) needs to be creative in assisting new ostomates in basic ostomy education prior to discharge. Mobile-based technology is providing clients with increased power over their care. To expedite early discharge, the WOC nurse decided to use videotaping as an adjunct tool for new ostomates to master and review basic ostomy care after discharge. Intervention: The WOC nurse is responsible for providing new ostomates with different resources necessary to meet their learning needs, and implement interactive and practice-based learning strategies to help them after surgery.  Over the past year, the WOC nurse implemented the use of videotaping for the return demonstration of the pouching system change using each client’s smart device or tablet. Using the client’s device has allowed the WOC nurse to structure learning for each client under 10 minutes. This interactive resource has been a key element for clients to reinforce basic knowledge in ostomy education. Of the 20 clients who were contacted via telephone, 18 were self-care and admitted this valuable resource reinforced the basic skills of the pouching system change that they learned in the hospital. However, only two patients said they did not review the video footage because they were overwhelmed with their new stoma. Conclusion:This simple and creative tool of videotaping has been an effective adjunct strategy to reinforce and enhance new ostomates’ education in achieving basic ostomy care after discharge.