Stoma Care Audit Scotland: Febuary 2008 (PDF, 4MB, 9mins 59secs)
Background
A component of the role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in stoma care, is to provide an ongoing long term specialist nursing service to patients who have or are going to undergo surgery resulting in the formation of a stoma. A stoma is an artificial opening on the abdomen to divert the flow of faeces or urine into an external pouch. This procedure may be temporary or permanent. More information on stomas can be found at reference below1. The patients involved in this audit have undergone a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy. There are around 50 CNSs in Scotland based at 30 hospitals looking after approximately 2200 new stoma patients per year.