Question

A nurse identifies that a patient's colostomy stoma is pale. What should the nurse do?

1) Notify the practitioner
2) Listen for bowel sounds
3) Wash the area with warm water
4) Gently massage around the stoma

Answer 1

The nurse should immediately notify the practitioner if a colostomy stoma is pale, as this could indicate a serious complication.Hence, the correct answer is option 1.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a nurse identifies that a patient's colostomy stoma is pale, the appropriate action should be to notify the practitioner immediately. A pale stoma can indicate a possible complication such as reduced blood flow to the stoma, which may require urgent medical attention. While washing the area with warm water and massaging around the stoma may be part of general stoma care, they are not the correct responses to a pale stoma. Listening for bowel sounds is also part of a comprehensive abdominal assessment but does not address the immediate concern for a pale stoma.