Authors (including presenting author) :
Wong SN(1), Chan SF(1), Li MNC (1), Chan KKS(2), Shum WYW(2), Ho WSK(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Community Care Services, Queen Mary Hospital (2) Stoma and Wound Care Team, Department of Surgery, Queen Mary Hospital
Keyword 1: :
Collaboration
Keyword 3: :
Community Care Services
Keyword 4: :
Patient-Centred Care
Introduction :
Effective stoma management is critical for enabling patients to understand and care for their ostomies, thereby preventing complications and improving quality of life (Alharbi et al., 2023). Community nurses are integral in providing comprehensive assessments and guidance on stoma care (Burch, 2024); however, some may lack specialised knowledge in ostomy nursing. To address this gap, a collaborative workshop was established to update community nurses on current techniques and knowledge in ostomy management, to enhance their competencies and increase staff satisfaction. This initiative fosters direct collaboration between the Stoma and Wound Care Team and Community Care Services (CCS), facilitating a seamless transition for patients from hospital to community and ensuring continuity of care (Bao et al., 2024).
Objectives :
1.Able to identify and manage common stoma and peristomal complication.
2.Familiar with ostomy products and accessories; and apply appropriately on required basis.
3.Provide effective patient education and support on promoting self-care.
4.Demonstrate professional standards and best practices in delivering stoma care.
5.Familiar workflow of referral system on consulting Stoma Care Nurse Clinic.
Methodology :
A structured, 2 identical interactive 2-hour workshops were held in the Tsan Yuk Hospital Lecture Theatre, co-designed and delivered by the Wound & Stoma Care team. It combined didactic teaching on advanced stoma care (e.g., managing peristomal skin complications, high-output stomas, and psychological aspects) with hands-on, case-based problem-solving sessions using real-world scenarios from community practice. The focus was on reinforcing practical skills, clarifying referral pathways, and fostering peer-to-peer dialogue.
Result & Outcome :
The workshop was attended by 43 community nurses. An assessment with 10 multiple-choice questions on theoretical knowledge was conducted before and after the workshop. Pre-test and Post-test scores were compared by the Wilcoxon signed rank test, and the difference was considered statistically significant with p < 0.001. The median score increased markedly from the pre-test (Median score = 7.0) to the post-test (Median score = 10.0). An effect size of 0.84 is considered large, indicating a very strong educational impact of the workshop on participants’ test performance. The overall distribution of post-test scores was shifted upward, with scores clustered near the maximum, demonstrating a clear improvement in knowledge following the intervention.
Post-workshop evaluation demonstrated a 98% self-reported increase in confidence in managing complex stoma issues. More significantly, it established a direct communication channel between the teams. Qualitative feedback highlighted reinforcing the knowledge of stoma care, a fruitful workshop and a good experience. This collaborative workshop model has demonstrated to be an effective model for service improvement. It successfully translated specialist hospital knowledge into community practice, strengthened interdisciplinary teamwork, and directly improved the continuity of care for stoma patients. The initiative exemplifies integrated care and serves as a replicable framework for collaboration between other specialist hospital services and community partners, ultimately leading to more resilient, patient-centred nursing care.
