Peoples’ Experiences With Pouches (PEWP) Study: Ostomate–Provider Interactions

BACKGROUND: Minimal research focuses on interactions between providers and new ostomy patients. Studies show that provider communication is important for patient health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate ostomy patients’ perceptions of provider communication following surgery and whether interactions adequately prepare ostomy patients to care for their new appliance. METHOD: Using a nonprobability national sample of 381 ostomy patients, we conducted a retrospective quantitative study. We measured adequacy of provider communication from self-reports from ostomy patients. RESULTS: The results show that almost half of the sample (49%) reported receiving inadequate communication from providers. We also found a relationship between ostomy patients’ educational level and their perceptions of receiving adequate communication. Notably, patients with lower educational attainment reported receiving adequate communication up to 4 times more than patients with higher educational attainment. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that not only do ostomy patients need better communication from providers following their surgery but also patients with higher educational attainment appear to expect more information from providers than patients with lower educational attainment.