October 13, 2023- In today’s U.S. healthcare continuum, the right products, information, and support are critical to a successful patient journey. A successful journey not only helps patients lead a self-sufficient life, but it also has a positive impact on the health system. It can lead to less visits to the emergency department, less unplanned physician visits and less hospital readmissions.
Never is that more evident than with patients who undergo ostomy surgery. An estimated 725,000 to 1 million people are living with an ostomy or continent diversion in the U.S. and approximately 100,000 ostomy surgeries are performed each year nationwide.1
An ostomy can be temporary or permanent and living with an ostomy impacts patients both physically and psychologically. Reactions are individualized and personal. One may find it lifesaving or restoring their life, while another may find it devastating. Each adjusts in their own way.
Preoperative and postoperative education and ongoing care tips from a Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nurse or coordinator associated with a supplier-sponsored patient support program help patients during their adjustment period and along their path.