Selecting the Pouching System and Types of Skin Barriers

Goal—the goal is to maintain the skin barrier for an established length of time usually 3 to 7 days.

The interval between changes of the pouching system is dependent on

• the type of drainage
• pouching surface
• preference of the patient

 

Images of the one piece and two piece fecal pouching system are from exmed.net

Types of Skin Barriers

Skin barrier is also known as wafer or the portion of the pouching system that interfaces with the patient’s skin.




Standard wear or regular wear skin barriers—provides a gently adhesive attachment to the skin. These skin barriers absorb less and disintegrate faster than extended wear skin barriers (Hollister, 2014).




Extended wear skin barriers—more resistant to moisture and adheres strongly to the skin. These skin barriers are useful to ostomates with high volume or high liquid content as these barriers erode more slowly (Colwell, Goldberg, & Carmel, 2004).