Preventing Readmission for Dehydration in Ileostomates

Objective: At our large urban teaching hospital we care for a diverse population of ileostomy patients. Our practice initiative was to decrease readmissions for new ileostomates.

Methods: Given that dehydration is the leading cause of readmission, we utilized innovative technology to enhance our current standard of practice to meet the needs of multigenerational learning styles. We connected with a current patient education initiative at our hospital that utilized an international online patient education platform company to create educational videos that can be ''prescribed'' to patients. Our WOC team worked with a videographer to film an educational video for ileostomy patients. The educational video covered what is normal ileostomy output, effluent management and oral hydration.

Conclusion: The video was filmed in six languages: English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Russian to meet the needs of our patient population. We can send, or prescribe, our video via text or email to our ileostomy patients/caregiver. The video is prescribed preoperatively during their marking session and continues to be available for viewing. The videos were also posted on our hospital educational television station, and instructions on how to view were included in our post op educational packets for those who do not have access to technology.