We know that stoma surgery can have a profound effect on a person’s life and can cause significant changes in their daily routine, as well as impacting on their body confidence, self-belief, and ability to cope both physically and emotionally.
We also realise that individual responses to surgery can vary and are dependent on many factors – for example if the operation was an emergency, if they have their stoma as a result of a cancer diagnosis, if they are more prone to anxiety and depression – all these things can play a major part in how well someone copes with what can be, for many, a truly frightening experience.
Evidence indicates that supporting psychological rehabilitation is paramount in achieving overall positive patient outcomes and should be considered as crucial as their physical recovery.
Addressing these challenges with our patients will minimise the negative impact of adjusting to life with a stoma, giving them back control and support them on their journey. Here, we have two whitepapers which can help address these challenges with patients.
This white paper series entitled “Survivor to Thriver” explores the 3 main elements which many ostomates struggle to cope with:
Firstly, loss of control leading to a grieving process. How important it is that we validate the sense of loss of control that ostomates can feel after surgery. Giving them the language they need to express their feelings, as they navigate through a range of emotions from grieving and denial, through to ultimate acceptance.
Secondly, altered body image and loss of self-esteem. How crucial it is that we integrate mutual support, educational, and supportive interventions within each patient’s care plan to help address these issues.
And lastly intimacy and sexual healing. As stoma care nurses, we need to be willing to acquire new skills through appropriate specialised training and education helping us address highly sensitive topics with our patients.
To complement this whitepaper and these important discussions, we have produced a series of 4 webinars which explore these key themes. In each webinar you will hear from several international guest speakers, experts within their own specialist field, offering solutions to help us support our patients more effectively within their psychological recovery. You can access this webinar series by clicking here.
Please click the button below to download your copy of the whitepaper.
The increasing workloads placed on stoma nurses often emphasises the practicalities of living with a stoma, with the emotional impact being overlooked.
This research whitepaper attempts to capture the impact of a stoma on an individual’s quality of life through a lifestyle questionnaire which was designed to capture both day-to-day stoma related issues, along with the psychological impact that stoma formation surgery had on these individuals.
The results provided valuable insight into the emotional wellbeing of an ostomate after stoma surgery, and highlighted the difficulties associated with predicting the psychological impact of a stoma.
Please click the button below to download your copy of the whitepaper.
