Evaluation of wear-time and overall patient satisfaction of a ceramide infused ostomy skin barrier at a Canadian university affiliated teaching hospital

Statement of Clinical Problem: Various challenges exist for people transitioning from an acute care hospital setting to community. Standardizing ostomy products between acute and home care may support a smoother transition after ostomy surgery. Recent implementation of a ceramide infused skin barrier in the community setting prompted clinicians in a large teaching hospital in Canada to determine if the same barrier would be successful in their acute care setting. A recent randomized controlled trial concluded that this barrier technology significantly reduced stoma-related cost of care in the three month post-operative period. A case series was undertaken to determine overall patient satisfaction and wear time of a ceramide infused skin barrier on post-operative patients in an acute care setting.

Description of Past Management: An extended wear barrier had been used at the teaching hospital for several years with positive outcomes in terms of barrier wear time, patient comfort and overall satisfaction. Average wear time was estimated between 4-5 days, which included colostomies, ileostomies and urostomies.

Current Clinical Approach: Nurses specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence (NSWOC) standardized all post-operative patients to the ceramide infused skin barrier and ceramide infused barrier rings for 1 month. An evaluation form collected data regarding wear time, satisfaction, predisposing skin conditions, preoperative stoma site marking and accessory products.

Patient Outcomes: 10 out of the 11 patients indicated they were very satisfied with the ceramide infused skin barrier. Mean wear time was 4.9 days.

Conclusion: Patients in this case series used a ceramide infused skin barrier in the overall care management plan. They experienced acceptable barrier wear time and a good level of satisfaction in a hospital setting. These case studies represent individual nurse/patient experiences and are not intended to suggest all patients will obtain the same experience/results.