Preoperative stoma site marking – nurses’ perspective

Introduction:
The purpose of the study was to determine Polish-based ostomy nurses’ perceptions of the number of patients who have a stoma site marked.

Material and methods:
Data were collected during 3 nationwide nursing conferences. The inclusion criterion was a declaration of direct work with a new stoma patient. The research group consisted of 164 nurses. The study was a cross-sectional assessment of the implementation of procedure for stoma site marking recommended in the Model of Care for Patients with Stoma. The study was based on the survey method using our own questionnaire and statistical methods.

Results:
The results of the study show that 40% of the nurses surveyed work in surgical wards, where preoperative stoma marking is always performed for elective surgery. Thirty percent of respondents indicated that the procedure was performed only sometimes. The main reasons for not marking the stoma included the following: lack of the procedure on the ward, lack of trained personnel, a ban imposed by the surgeon, and lack of time. In the case of emergency surgery, the procedure was confirmed by 14.6% of respondents.

Conclusions:
While the procedure of stoma site marking and its scientifically proven advantages are known, the implementation of that procedure into practice is still not satisfactory in Poland. Increasing the amount of training for ostomy nurses and raising awareness among surgeons could contribute to the widespread use of this procedure. The basic key for standardising preoperative stoma site marking will be to develop and introduce a uniform, national procedure.