Ostomy Telehealth For Cancer Survivors

Over one million individuals in the U.S. have ostomies. The American Cancer Society estimates 39,610 rectal cancer cases and 74,000 bladder cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2015. Of these, at least 30,000 will receive ostomies, and an additional unknown number due to gynecologic, other gastrointestinal tumors. The HRQOL impact is tremendous and greater than with many other cancer treatments. An ostomy is often a prolonged or lifelong disabling problem for cancer survivors. The adaptation period is quite variable. 18% of participants took at least one year, or never felt comfortable, in their ostomy care. Importantly, many patients cannot attend selfmanagement programs or patient groups for a myriad of reasons, including distance to travel, monetary outlays, comorbidities making travel difficult, or lack of access to transportation. In addition, a national shortage of OCNs means patients with an ostomy, whether newly placed or a long-term issue, receive little help. It is imperative to study interventions for these cancer survivors aimed to limit family financial burdens, decrease medical care use, and improve well-being. This study has the potential to improve health care outcomes for cancer survivors with ostomies by enhancing their knowledge of and self-efficacy with ostomy care. This will be accomplished by improving the ability to communicate an established educational curriculum developed based on patient needs and desires and refined via a pilot study.