Enterostomal Counseling
An enterostomal therapy (ET) nurse is a registered nurse (RN) with specialized training to assist people who will have or have had ostomy surgery. Recently this title changed to certified wound ostomy and continence nurse (CWOCN) to reflect a broader range of skills that includes assisting patients with problems related to skin and drainage.
The ET nurses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center help patients to adjust to their ostomy before and after surgery. They also provide information, instruction and guidance about diseases. They continue to offer outpatient consultation and support after discharge from the hospital.
Each year more than 100,000 people in the United States undergo surgery that requires a fecal or urinary stoma. For many people, an ostomy is a fact of life. The ET nurses have compiled a booklet to help patients understand and care for their ostomy.
You can read the 40-page booklet online or print it from your computer by clicking the link below.
Click on this link to view diagrams of a colostomy and a stoma:
*You will need the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader to view and print this document from your desktop. If you do not have this software, you can download it FREE from Adobe's website.
