PCRMC Offers Speciality in Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nursing


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Pictured are specialists in the WOC nursing
field: Joyce Leuthart (back row, left),
Peggy Taylor, Connie Swenty (front row,
left) and Retta Sutterfield.

ROLLA - SPRING 2006 - While medical advances are prolonging life, they have also created new health issues. To address the needs presented by patients with special health issues, a new specialization has emerged in nursing – Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nursing.

Phelps County Regional Medical Center (PCRMC) has three of the 60 WOC nurses in Missouri, and they are skilled in the treatment, education and rehabilitation of people with wound, ostomy and continence conditions. They are Retta Sutterfield, RN CNS CWOCN; Connie Swenty, RN MSN CWOCN; and Joyce Leuthart RN BSN CWOCN.

Sutterfield and Swenty are joined in PCRMC’s WOC department by Peggy Taylor, RN. They see patients in the hospital, clinic and home health care setting.

WOC Nursing focuses on the care of patients who are debilitated by chronic wounds, ostomy conditions or continence disorders.  The profession traces its roots to 1968 when an ostomy patient realized how important post operative support was to recovery.

Sometimes surgery results in an opening in the patient’s body for the discharge of body waste and health professionals must be adequately prepared to address the patient’s medical needs. The scope of practice in the field eventually evolved to include patients afflicted with chronic wounds caused by conditions such as pressure ulcers, diabetes and venous insufficiency, as well as individuals suffering from fecal and urinary incontinence.

The demand for WOC nurses continues to grow. Not only is the population aging, but also individuals who are 85 years of age and older, is increasing too. 

In fact, the 85 years of age and older age group is the fastest-growing age range in the U.S. and is most likely to take prescription drugs that result in bowel and bladder problems. The demand for WOC nurses will continue to be spurred by the aging of the population as well as the increase in diseases, such as diabetes, where the development of wounds, such as foot ulcers, can be a serious complication and impair wound healing. 

The need for WOC nurses has grown so much in recent decades that some nurses have even carved out specialties within the specialty itself.

“This is an important service for patients, and we are pleased to provide them with the specialized care that they need,” Sutterfield said.

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