Next week is Wound Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nurse Week, established to raise awareness about the important work performed by these specialized nurses in inpatient and outpatient healthcare settings.

Millions of Americans will need some type of wound, ostomy, and continence care at some point in their lives, according to the Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society.

While many of these health concerns are not easy to talk about — non-healing wounds, loss of bladder or bowel control, and ostomy issues — knowing that this type of expert care is available can be a comfort to those who suffer from these conditions.

Services provided by WOC nurses include education to patients and families, preventive care, specialized therapies, counseling and care in a variety of settings.

“Studies show that patients with wound, ostomy, and continence issues achieve better results when a WOC nurse is involved in care,” said Bethany Stathakis, BSN, RN, CWOCN, Enterostomal Nurse at Lakeland HealthCare.

Certification for this nursing specialty is a voluntary process and requires that the candidate be a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree, complete a program at an accredited school and pass an intensive certification exam.

At Lakeland, five full-time WOC nurses provide care to home care patients as well as inpatients at Lakeland Community Hospital, Niles; Lakeland Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph; and Lakeland Continuing Care Center in St. Joseph.

The number of patients and/or visits by Lakeland WOC nurses in 2010 included:

• Lakeland Homecare: 400 patients
• Acute-care hospitals (inpatients): 1,344 patients with 2,581 visits
• Lakeland Continuing Care Center: 137 visits

“As the patient population ages, there will be a greater need for all healthcare in general and specialty services in particular,” Stathakis said. According to the Administration on Aging of the Department of Health and Human Services, the number of Americans age 65 or older will increase from 39.6 million based on 2009 figures to 72.1 million in 2030.

“As healthcare facilities such as Lakeland come to realize the contribution that WOC nurses make, I think that there will be an increase in demand of these specialized services,” Stathakis added.

For more information about the services provided by Wound Ostomy Continence nurses at Lakeland HealthCare, please call (269) 983-8804 for hospital-based services or (269) 985-4400 for Lakeland Homecare-based services.

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