Stoma care appliances: an overview

A core aim in stoma care is to ensure the appliance (also known as a pouch or bag) establishes and maintains a secure seal, and so identifying the appropriate appliance for an individual ostomate is vital. This article presents a summary of the latest available range of stoma appliances on the market. There are two types of pouching systems: one and two piece. There are three main types of stoma appliances: closed, drainable and urostomy. Stoma care nurses need to be well informed about stoma appliance innovation, so that they can advise patients on what appliance is best for them. It is also the role of a stoma care nurse to educate patients on the technique for appliance application. If a patient is wearing an inappropriate appliance or they have a poor application technique, this can result in stoma complications, such as leakage and/or sore peristomal skin.