COCN case studies
COCN · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Ostomy Care Nurse (COCN) credential is a specialty nursing certification for clinicians whose practice centers on the person living with a fecal or urinary ostomy. Candidates are typically nurses who manage stomas, pouching systems, and peristomal skin in acute care, outpatient, home health, and long-term care settings, and who want their ostomy-specific expertise validated by an accredited certifying body rather than by employer competency checklists alone. The COCN case studies are 5 cases and about 4,821 words.
1Six Weeks of Leaks at 5 O'Clock: When the Pouching System Is Not the Problem
R, 74, had an end colostomy for rectal cancer 3 years ago. She was fitted with a flat, cut-to-fit one-piece drainable pouch, changed every 4 days, and had no trouble until 6 weeks ago.
903 words, about 5 min2POD 4, 2,300 mL, and Thirst: Managing a High-Output Ileostomy
K, 58, is on postoperative day 4 after proctocolectomy with end ileostomy for ulcerative colitis. He weighed 82 kg preoperatively and is now 78 kg.
843 words, about 4 min3Two Rashes Under One Pouch: Separating Fungal, Irritant, and Allergic Skin Disease
L, 61, with type 2 diabetes, is 6 weeks out from an end ileostomy. She reports intense itching and burning under the pouch.
964 words, about 5 min4Marking a Stoma on a BMI 39 Abdomen: The Mark That Works Only When Lying Down
D, 55, is scheduled for elective abdominoperineal resection with end colostomy for recurrent anal cancer after chemoradiation. He has a large pannus that overhangs to the symphysis when he stands, three midline laparotomy scars, and works as a warehouse supervisor where he wears a tool belt and lifts crates.
1,023 words, about 5 min5POD 5, Won't Look: Distinguishing Acute Grief from a Red Flag
T, 68, is on postoperative day 5 after an emergency colostomy for perforated diverticulitis. She had no preoperative education.
1,088 words, about 5 min