It is Time to Shift Our Perspective to Focus on the Overall Health of Ostomy Patients Based on a Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The ostomy clinics led by wound, ostomy, and continence nurses play a vital role in the stoma care. However, it is still unclear that the overall implementation of wound, ostomy, and continence nurses in Chinese ostomy clinics and the ability to deal with stoma-related complications. OBJECTIVE: To identify the status of wound, ostomy, and continence nurses practice in ostomy clinics and factors associated with their competence in complication care. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study. SETTINGS: This study was conducted at ostomy clinics in 269 hospitals across 28 provinces in China. PARTICIPANTS: Wound, ostomy, and continence nurses in charge of ostomy clinics in China were recruited using purposive sampling in June 2024. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We used the questionnaire of nursing practice in ostomy clinic, which was approved by 10 members of Wound Ostomy Incontinence Nursing Committee of Chinese Nursing Association, with the scale-level content validity index was 0.979 and the item-level content validity index ranged from 0.8 to 1.0. RESULTS: Two primary areas of deficiency in current practice: (1) wound, ostomy, and continence nurses paid insufficient attention to the overall health of patients, especially in physical and social well-being concerns; (2) 42.2% wound, ostomy, and continence nurses had high competence in complication care. Years of experience [OR = 2.312, 95% CI (1.110, 4.812), p = 0.025] and regular case analysis of complex ostomy cases [OR=2.014, 95% CI (1.159, 3.499), p = 0.013] were independent factors. LIMITATION: This study was limited by potential selection bias and recall bias. CONCLUSIONS: The ostomy clinic work is comprehensive by wound, ostomy, and continence nurses, but the need to enhance focus on patients' overall health may be a potential issue worthy of global concern. Promoting case-based learning training programs in departments can further enhance the competency of wound, ostomy, and continence nurses.