title: Think Stoma Nurse: a tool to trigger referral to specialist care.
abstract: This article describes the initial development and subsequent evolution of a simple referral assessment tool for stoma care. The first author's personal experience identified that there was widespread inconsistency in perceptions of local multidisciplinary teams as to when it was appropriate to refer to specific specialist nursing teams. This resulted in both inappropriate and delayed referrals. A 'Think Specialist Nurse' initiative was developed across the author's trust, building on the traffic light template from the 'ThinkGlucose' tool, to facilitate referrals to clinical nurse specialists. The stoma-care specific tool, 'Think Stoma Nurse', has subsequently evolved beyond its initial audience, and has been adapted into materials aimed at patients and carers.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Nurse Specialist Stoma Care, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon and Chair of the Association of Stoma Care Nurses UK.
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hanley
authors.affiliation: Senior Territory Manager, Dansac Ltd.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D009720:Nurse Clinicians; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D054047:Surgical Stomas
keywords: Care pathways; Education; Patient experience; Productive ward; Quality improvement; Specialist nursing; Stoma care