Sebastiaan van der Storm

101 4 Supporting stoma patients’ self-efficacy with a mobile application - a focus group interview stud Representative 1 (FG2) “Actually, you would like to have a page somehow. So, you know the physiotherapists described in this app really understand it. This applies for dieticians as well.” 5. Overwhelming amount stoma materials Patients experience the choice of stoma materials and suppliers as excessive and overwhelming. After surgery, patients often receive a large amount of stoma materials from different suppliers in an attempt to acquire more customers. A stoma nurse explained that over 300 types of stoma plasters are available, and patients were indeed overwhelmed by the choice of materials, unknowing what type of material fits best. Stoma nurses stated that hospitals purchase stoma materials from only a few suppliers, which makes it difficult for them to council patients about all materials. In addition, a stoma nurse explained that insurance companies determine which material from which supplier is reimbursed, resulting in a limited choice for the patient. And on top of that, patients may have different insurance providers and packages. Therefore, it is difficult for nurses to have a full overview, and also difficult for patients to switch suppliers -based on their preferences. Patient 4 (FG1) “You are talking about a convex skin plate. Well, I don’t know what that is. I can imagine it, but I don’t know what it is. That should be in the app, it should say that there is a one-piece system: what it is, what the advantages are, what the disadvantages are, and there are two-part systems, what the advantages are, what the disadvantages are. But it doesn’t have to be that there are green, yellow or blue, or dots.” Participants agreed that general information about stoma materials and suppliers should be provided in the app. Stoma nurses indicated that too much detailed of information would be unnecessary and may even increase the problem of patients feeling overwhelmed. They expressed that patients need to be properly informed by a nurse on different materials fitting their requirements. In addition, patient suggested an ability to order stoma material through the app to be of high value. This, to ease the process of ordering material, and obtain a better overview of all suppliers and materials. Other participants also stated this could be used to create funding to maintain the app by asking suppliers for a fee for an order. Representative 3 (FG2): “If you have an app where you can see if the stoma material is a right fit for you and you get a web-link to the supplier, it could be a funding.”

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