Ostomy pouch wear time in the United States.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine average pouch wear times of persons with an ostomy living in the United States.

SUBJECTS AND SETTING: In this national survey, subjects were identified by ostomy nurses and through ostomy support groups in the United States. Participants responding to a survey represented all 6 geographic regions of the United States identified by US Bureau of Census.

DESIGN AND PROCEDURE: Persons with colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies were queried concerning their average pouch wear time.

RESULTS: The mean wear time for ostomy pouches in the United States is 4.8 days. Persons with urostomies reported an average wear time of 5.02 days (SD = 1.74), those with ileostomies reported 5.01 days (SD = 2.25), and those with colostomies reported an average of 4.55 days (SD = 2.08).

CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first of its kind to utilize a large, national sample to determine average wear time of ostomy pouches. Further research is needed to establish a benchmark for ostomy pouch wear time in the United States and to determine what factors affect wear time.