HHA: Ostomy Care
Presented by Dedee Culley
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In the United States, approximately 800,000 people have ostomies. While today’s devices are virtually unnoticeable, they represent a disease or condition a patient has that makes an ostomy medically needed and alters a part of their body. As an aide in home care, it is important to recognize this impact on patients when they are receiving care. In this course on ostomy care, the aide will discover the different types of ostomies, how they work, and how to provide safe personal care to patients with ostomies. In addition, the aide will learn about the types of complications a patient with an ostomy can encounter and what to watch for. Documentation and reporting are important aspects of care the entire home care team needs to understand. In the final section of the course, the aide will learn the proper documentation and reporting tips specific to patients with ostomies who are being seen in the home.
Meet your instructor
Dedee Culley
Dedee Culley is a registered nurse with more than 19 years of experience, with the last 10 years being specifically in the home health and hospice areas. She has been a field nurse, case manager, educator, and director of operations in agencies. She has also served as a clinical expert analyst for a software vendor, designing…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Case Scenario and Course Overview
There are approximately 120,000 new ostomies created each year in the United States. Thus, the aide is likely to encounter patients in their homes who have new or complicated ostomies. In this chapter, the aide will be introduced to the prevalence of patients with ostomies and a case scenario to follow throughout the course.
2. What Is an Ostomy
Before an aide begins providing care to a patient with an ostomy in the home setting, it is important to know and understand what kind of ostomy the patient has and the purpose for it. In this chapter, the aide will learn the types of ostomies, their purposes, and the reasons patients most commonly have them.
3. Goals of Care
As an aide providing care to any patient, it is important to follow general safety rules. When caring for a patient with an ostomy, there are also specific safety and personal care issues to keep in mind, especially concerning the patient’s skin. In this chapter, we will discuss what these are and their importance.
4. Documentation and Reporting
Documentation and reporting keep the patient safe and ensure the entire home care team knows and understands what is going on with the patient. In this chapter, the aide will be given examples of issues specific to patients with ostomies to be familiar with and report to the nursing supervisor.
