Rethinking Recovery
What is Rethinking Recovery?
An accredited specialist HCP training and implementation programme focused on establishing core abdominal rehabilitation and stoma protective movement as the standard of care for people living with a stoma.
Focused on helping you empower patient rehabilitation, including the me+™ recovery programme, and delivered via in-person training (face to face or virtual).
Supplemented by clinical best practice insights pre-work to be completed in advance of the in-person training implementation support and resources.
For all HCPs working with/caring for people living with a stoma.
Rethinking Recovery resources
Despite early mobilisation being part of enhanced surgical recovery pathways (ERAS)6 and abdominal rehabilitation being included in stoma clinical guidelines7, patients are frequently told to be cautious, rest and not lift after surgery. They become less active and live in fear of parastomal hernia or causing themselves harm. Convatec is here to help. In partnership with professionals like yourself, we have carefully crafted Rethinking Recovery resources to help you directly impact stoma patient rehabilitation and outcomes.
Find out more about Rethinking Recovery training and me+ recovery resources that will enable you to best support people who are having or have had stoma surgery.
The importance of rehabilitation
Structured rehabilitation after stoma surgery is often missing — a silent crisis with serious consequences. The me+™ recovery series and Rethinking Recovery aim to change that, with support from the full multidisciplinary team.
Sarah Russell, a Clinical Exercise Specialist and seasoned marathon runner, faced her own turning point in 2010 after emergency stoma surgery. “I distinctly remember asking the nurses what exercises I should do and having blank faces staring back at me,” she recalls. With her background in cardiac rehab, she was shocked by the lack of guidance and had to build her own recovery plan.
Partnering with Convatec, Sarah led research that surveyed over 2,500 UK ostomates. The findings were stark: half exercised less after surgery, often due to fear, and 90% didn’t meet UK physical activity guidelines. Many had been told not to exercise at all. “This just poured fuel on my fire,” says Sarah. “I’m passionate about people living as healthy a life as possible. When people become inactive just because they have a stoma, we’ve got a huge problem.”
Minimising the risk of parastomal hernia
Managing intra-abdominal pressure is key to minimising risk of parastomal hernia. Learning how to breathe correctly, to connect and activate the diaphragm, pelvic floor and transverse abdominal muscles as early as possible in the surgical pathway is paramount to safe and empowering rehabilitation.
What is me+™ recovery?
A 3-stage stoma protective rehabilitation programme directly accessible by people facing stoma surgery or living with a stoma.
Combines practical guidance on stoma protective movements and progressive exercises to support patient prehabilitation and rehabilitation to help people living with a stoma live their best life.
For people of all ages, surgery types and stages of their stoma journey, including those with parastomal hernias.
Testimonials
“The basic me+™ recovery program is something that a patient can easily manage before or few days after surgery. Having done the exercises during the workshop, I found the exercises easy to understand and perform, without undue strain on the abdomen. What particularly stood out for me during the workshop was the very specific breathing pattern for each exercise, and the clear explanation as to why it was important to prevent build-up of abdominal pressure.”
"As a colorectal surgeon, I’m only too aware of how challenging stoma surgery is for my patients. But I also know how important it is for them to make a full physical recovery and to return to their normal lives."
"These “Umbrella breathing exercises” are so easy for patients to understand, they can be done sitting, standing or lying-in bed. I find introducing these simple steps at this early stage gives the patients something to focus on in preparation for surgery and reminding them (when I visit post op) encourages them to continue what at that stage is a familiar process to them and another small but very important step on their road to recovery. I feel that we are laying down the foundations for a healthy core and it may encourages many of them to progress to the me+™ recovery program."
1. Russell, S. Br J Nurs. 2017 Mar 9;26(5):S20–S26.
2. Global action plan on physical activity 2018–2030: more active people for a healthier world. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
3. Husain SG, Cataldo TE. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2008 Feb;21(1):31–40.
4. North J. Br J Nurs. 2014 Mar;23(5):S14-8.
5. Schutte G, et al. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2023; 38(1): 29.
6. Tazreean, R. Nelson, G. Twomey, R. Early mobilization in enhanced recovery after surgery pathways: current evidence and recent advancements. J Comp Eff Res. 2022 Feb;11(2):121-12
7. The Association of Stoma Care Nurses UK [ASCN] Stoma Care National Clincal Guidelines 2016 https://ascnuk.com/_userfiles/pages/files/national_guidelines.pdf