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The “Ostomate Bill of Rights” was originally developed in 1977 with the goal to inform ostomates that all elements of quality care should be available to them. Today, a plethora of literature is available describing healthcare continuum processes and/or lack thereof that have a negative impact on ostomate health care and quality of life. The Ostomy and Continent Diversion Patient Bill of Rights (PBOR) was updated in 2017 by the United Ostomy Association of America (UOAA) and distributed to at least 21,000 individuals and clinicians. Despite this massive distribution, UOAA continues to receive numerous calls about home care agency issues such as providing ostomy supplies or lack of ostomy education by qualified nurses. The purpose of this project was to disseminate the updated PBOR to home care providers with the objective of increasing awareness of ostomate needs and rights postoperatively.
UOAA Advocacy Manager and Advocacy Committee, comprised of certified ostomy nurses and ostomates, held strategic planning meetings via virtual conference calls to develop methods to educate home health providers and disseminate the PBOR in that field. A poster was developed for presentation at the National Home Care & Hospice Conference(NAHC) that described how to use the PBOR to achieve positive patient outcomes and agency goals. NAHC attendees were given UOAA information, poster handouts, the PBOR, and nursing specific guides.
Outcomes were measured informally by number of attendee UOAA booth visits and amount of resources given to NAHC attendees. 30 handouts/packages were given to NAHC attendees that stopped at the booth and engaged in conversation. While individual visitor feedback was positive, the actual number of attendees who stopped at the booth was less than anticipated. UOAA continues to collect data from call logs and plans to submit manuscripts and commentary to home health and nursing journals.
UOAA Advocacy Manager and Advocacy Committee, comprised of certified ostomy nurses and ostomates, held strategic planning meetings via virtual conference calls to develop methods to educate home health providers and disseminate the PBOR in that field. A poster was developed for presentation at the National Home Care & Hospice Conference(NAHC) that described how to use the PBOR to achieve positive patient outcomes and agency goals. NAHC attendees were given UOAA information, poster handouts, the PBOR, and nursing specific guides.
Outcomes were measured informally by number of attendee UOAA booth visits and amount of resources given to NAHC attendees. 30 handouts/packages were given to NAHC attendees that stopped at the booth and engaged in conversation. While individual visitor feedback was positive, the actual number of attendees who stopped at the booth was less than anticipated. UOAA continues to collect data from call logs and plans to submit manuscripts and commentary to home health and nursing journals.