Factors associated with leakage in patients with an ostomy: A cross-sectional study.
Kirsten Lerum Indrebø, Anny Aasprang, Torill Elin Olsen and 1 others
PMID 36691880WHAT IT FOUND
Leakage was associated with ostomy placement not matching guidelines, convex baseplate, oval shape, non-cancer diagnosis, no colostomy, poor knowledge, strained relationships with clinicians, and needing help with care.
Key findings
01Among 160 ostomy patients, 67.5% reported leakage; 32.5% never, 37.5% less than once a month, 16.3% more than once a month, 7.5% weekly, and 6.3% several times every week.
02The partial least squares model explained 31% of variance in leakage and identified placement not according to guidelines, poor relationship with health professionals, other diagnosis than cancer, poor knowledge and skills, not having a colostomy, convex baseplate, oval ostomy, and dependence on others as risk factors.
03Correlation analysis also linked higher BMI and longer time since surgery to leakage frequency, while knowledge and skills and health professionals subscores were negatively correlated with leakage.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Leakage was self-reported, so patients may have misunderstood or not recognised leakage under the skin barrier. The study was cross-sectional and exploratory, so it cannot show that any factor caused leakage. It was done in one outpatient clinic with stoma care nurse follow-up, so results may not transfer to other settings. No data were collected on diet, output consistency, urine pH, stenosis, physical workload, or activity. Loop and end ostomies were not distinguished. Ostomy length may change during the day, and the opening may not be at the top. Skin condition could be both a cause and an effect of leakage, so it was not included in the regression model. Convex baseplate use may have been a response to leakage rather than a cause.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests. The paper reports ethics approval but does not name a funder or describe sponsor involvement.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that convex baseplates cause leakage or that switching to convexity will prevent leakage. The association is cross-sectional, and convex barriers may have been selected because leakage was already a problem.