Local nurse-led outpatient follow-up pathway to identify and meet the needs of ostomates: a service evaluation

In the changing face of healthcare, the number of nurse-led clinics has increased. This is also the case for stoma clinics in the UK. Although there is no standardised pathway, ostomates (person living with a stoma) in the UK are routinely followed up either by telephone or face-to-face depending on the need to deliver timely patient care. High-quality care and experience are important determinants of patient satisfaction in healthcare and align with the government's long-term plan, which expects this as standard. Therefore, this study explored the views and needs of ostomates to better understand the experiences and wishes of ostomates that attend a nurse-led clinic at a local hospital. The aim of this study was to evaluate ostomates’ experience of care delivered on the stoma care nurse-led outpatient follow-up pathway. An adapted data collection tool was used to evaluate face-to-face and telephone clinics in a 3-month period (December-February). A non-probability convenience sample of 246 patients who accessed the pathway face to face (n=122) or by telephone (n=124) were surveyed. The questionnaires were sent to consenting respondents who had either a colostomy ileostomy or urostomy. A total of 117 questionnaires were returned, with a response rate of 48%. The results showed that 98% of respondents on the face-to-face pathway said the nurse had answered all their questions compared to 80% on the telephone. Nine out of 10 (90%) of respondents were very satisfied with the overall telephone consultation, while only 68% of respondents were very satisfied with the overall face-to-face consultation. Almost all (97%) of ostomates from the face-to-face clinic were happy with the length of their appointment, compared with 81% of those from the telephone clinic. Overall, the respondents are generally happy with the service offered to them and they valued the role of the stoma nurses. The service evaluation highlighted several good areas of practice and identified areas that need improvement, including offering preference of type of clinics to ostomates. Both options of face-to-face and telephone consultations could be presented to ostomates to ensure appropriate quality of care. In addition, an action plan has been put in place to improve identified needs.