Baccalaureate Undergraduate Nursing Students' Confidence in and Knowledge of Ostomy/Ostomy Care

Purpose: to examine baccalaureate nursing students’ knowledge of ostomy/ostomy care and their confidence in providing ostomy care. 

Methodology: Quality improvement project conducted across a three year baccalaureate nursing program. Students answered the Zimnicki-Pieper Ostomy Knowledge Test (Z-POKT) (50 items; true/false/do not know) and rated their confidence in providing care (6 items; scale 5-1; high=30 to low=6).

Statistics: Responses were examined with descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: 138 students participated. Sixty-six (47.8%) students reported no experience caring for a patient with an ostomy. The most commonly performed skills were emptying the appliance(n=49) and changing the appliance(n=24). The mean number of knowledge items answered correctly was 35.66(71.32%). Knowledge scores did not differ significantly by year in the nursing program. Students had a mean confidence score of 19.54(SD = 5.20). The highest confidence level was in the ability to empty a pouch and to size and fit an appliance. The lowest confidence was in ostomy teaching and community resources. Higher confidence in ostomy care was significantly related to higher number of skills performed in skills laboratory(r=.32), higher number of ostomy skills performed in clinical practice(r=.38), and higher knowledge scores on Z-POKT(r=.23).

Conclusions: The importance of providing knowledgeable and skilled care and appropriate education to patients with ostomies is well documented. Nursing students had beginning knowledge about ostomy care, and were confident in their ability to provide this care, but lacked experience in caring for patients with ostomies. Based on this project, we expanded the ostomy simulation experiences in the students’ sophomore and junior level year. Research is needed concerning the effectiveness of simulation, the translation of students’ knowledge and confidence to their role as a registered nurse post-graduation, and to determine the most appropriate information for inclusion in the baccalaureate program.