The hospital nurse’s perception about health education for patients with ostomies

Nurses have an important role impacting patients’ lives through using health education as a tool.¹ In relation to ostomate patients, the nurse as an educator, acts by rescuing patient’s autonomy, in order to facilitate his/her dealing with corporal changes. Patient self-care is a key part to promote patients’ empowerment and quality of life.^2,3 The present study’s aim is to explore hospital nurses’ perceptions of providing health education to patients with ostomies. This qualitative study was carried out in the medical clinic of a Federal University Hospital in Rio de Janeiro/Brazil. Semi-structured Interviews were conducted during the period from May to June 2016 with nurses in ostomy care after institutional approval. Two guiding questions framed the study: What do you think about health education to patients with ostomies? Describe a situation in which you provided health education to ostomy patient during your shift. Bardin⁴ was used for analysis which revealed five categories: 1. The importance of ostomy patient health education, 2. Difficulties and facilitators in ostomy patient health education, 3. Topics addressed during ostomy patient health education, 4. Patient’s rejection of health education and of self-care, 5. Presence of a family member in ostomy patient health education. The study corroborates the importance of health education performed by nursing professionals to ostomate patients. Among the difficulties faced by nurses, institutional barriers, workload and patient’s individual aspects stood out, consistent with other studies.⁵ The results demonstrate the strategies used by hospital nurses to provide ostomy patient health education highlight the important role that nurses play in helping patients accept their ostomies post-surgery.