Get full access with a free account
Benefits of the Coloplast® Professional Educational platform
Get full access to all educational content, events and resources
Track your progress
Share content with your collegues
Share supporting material with your patient
While leakage and skin complications remain major challenges for people living with a stoma, those aren’t the only challenges they face. Stoma surgery also comes with emotional challenges which may deeply affect their self-identity and the way they live their life.
Did you know?
So how can we help people with a stoma cope with these emotional challenges and relieve the mental burden of living with a stoma?
To find out, Coloplast conducted a market research study. We interviewed people with a stoma in three countries* to better understand what would help them to cope.
Here’s what we learned:
Discretion is key...
“You get less people looking at you when walking down the beach on holiday, like, I would probably take my top of more out in public. Yeah, just give me a lot more confidence, my kids probably wouldn't notice as much."
The people we interviewed prioritised finding a discreet solution – one that would help them feel more confident and less defined by their stoma. When we asked them what discretion meant to them, they said using a product that doesn’t alert the senses; one that doesn’t smell, doesn’t make noise and can’t be seen by other people.2
...and so is choice
“It’s important to have a choice because I didn’t have one. It gives me so much power, so much freedom and so much control. Control that I felt like I had lost.”
Victoria’s experience is not unique. Our research revealed five key themes that explain why choice is so important to people living with a stoma.³
Every body is different
People living with a stoma want to find the right product for their own body, one that fits their shape, skin colour and skin sensitivity.
Every life is different
Having more products to choose from means people are free to choose products that cater to different parts of their lives.
People living with a stoma want flexibility
Greater product choice means they can adapt to any situation. This gives them confidence that no matter what happens, they can find a product that suits the new situation.
People living with a stoma want to regain control
For some, getting a stoma meant losing control of the life they had. Having a say in the product they use meant they could retake control.
People living with a stoma want agency in their care
For the people we interviewed, not having a say in which products they used made it harder for them to accept their new reality. They wanted the freedom to make their own product decisions.
Studies highlight the importance of choice
93%
of stoma users said having a choice in products helped them adapt to life with a stoma.3
83%
of members of a German stoma association said they would like to have different colour options available when choosing stoma products. 4
These insights also reflect a larger societal trend, where the stigma regarding disabilities is disappearing. People are celebrating their differences and being more open about their medical conditions. So, for some, choice means they can use their stoma product to make a personal statement.
Balancing the right fit with the right to choose
Studies have shown that conducting a structured assessment of a person’s peristomal body profile, such as using the Peristomal Body Profile Assessment Tool, is an effective method for finding the right product solution from the start. And this latest research demonstrates how finding a discreet solution that fits the person’s lifestyle can further help them to accept their condition and adapt to life with a stoma. This highlights the importance of finding the product that fits a person’s body and their lifestyle.