ASCRS and WOCN joint position statement on the value of preoperative stoma marking for patients undergoing fecal ostomy surgery.

The American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) collaborated with the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses (WOCN) Society in 2007 to develop a position paper to establish that every person scheduled for a fecal diversion should be marked for a stoma preoperatively by a skilled health care provider. The WOCN Ostomy subcommittee chaired by Jane Carmel led this important activity. The genesis of the project was the development of a stoma marking video developed by the ASCRS for their fellowship program. Several WOC nurses collaborated on this video and the group agreed that this collaboration should continue to address the issue of stoma site marking. The WOCN Ostomy subcommittee chair worked with 8 WOCN members from around the country. Subcommittee members performed a literature search to support the need for stoma site marking. Most references were found to be international citations with a few limited current studies. Once the literature search was completed, the WOCN subcommittee divided into two groups, one to develop the position statement, the other charged with developing the procedure for stoma site marking. The two documents were developed using the existing literature as well as the expert opinion of the subcommittee. Dr. Ann Lowry of the ASCRS spearheaded the work of the ASCRS and sent the document to a group of identified ASCRS experts. After editing was completed, the Boards of the ASCRS and the WOCN approved the documents.