The UJA and the Jaén Ostomates Association strengthen their research collaboration
Topics Hospital Universitario de Jaén Universidad de Jaén
The University of Jaén and the Jaén Ostomates Association have held a working meeting to coordinate a new research project on the use of a gel with extra virgin olive oil in peristomal skin hygiene.
The University of Jaén (UJA) and the Ostomates Association of Jaén (AOJA) have held a working meeting to strengthen their collaboration in research and social impact initiatives aimed at improving care and quality of life for ostomates.
A new research project
The main purpose of the meeting was to coordinate the start of a new research project that the UJA will develop together with the University of Granada (UGR), the Hospital Universitario de Jaén, the Hospitales Universitarios Clínico San Cecilio and Virgen de las Nieves de Granada, the Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria de Granada and the Ostomates Association of Granada (AOGRA).
The work focuses on evaluating the use and effectiveness of a gel formulated with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in peristomal skin hygiene. According to the UJA, it is a continuation of a line of research started a few years ago following the positive results of the study pilot.
Other joint initiatives
The meeting also addressed other initiatives in which the UJA has the association's support, such as support for the EPPIA research project. Likewise, a proposal from the Department of Nursing, channelled through the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Health Sciences, was presented to adapt and install a specific bathroom for ostomates in the new Health Sciences building (A0) on the Las Lagunillas Campus.
What an ostomy is
A stoma is a surgical opening made in the abdomen to allow bodily fluids to pass to the outside through a collection bag. Its causes are varied, notably colon or bladder cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.
In Spain there are currently more than 200,000 ostomates, with about 16,000 new cases each year. In Jaén, the estimated figure is more than 1500 people.
AOJA's work
The Ostomates Association of Jaén, part of the Federación de Asociaciones de Personas Ostomizadas de España (FAPOE), carries out information, personalised care and support work for patients and families. Among its achievements, the UJA highlights the establishment of a daily care clinic at the Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén and the drive to ensure the province has around 30 adapted services and toilets in healthcare centres and key facilities, including its own headquarters. It also runs training workshops with the Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública.
The meeting was attended by César Hueso Montoro, professor in the Department of Nursing at the UJA; Concepción Capilla Díaz, professor in the Department of Nursing at the UGR; and Ana Olvera García, nurse and doctoral student at the UJA. AOJA was represented by its president, Vicente Llopis, and its secretary, Antonia Español.