All explainers
Every published explainer, newest first. Filter by topic or section.
Learning to Live With IBD: What a Cochrane Review Found About Patient Education Programs
A 2023 Cochrane systematic review examined the trial evidence for structured patient education interventions in inflammatory bowel disease, assessing whether programmes delivered by nurses, clinicians, or digital tools affect disease activity, quality of life, and patients' ability to manage their own condition.
Urostomy Care: What a 2026 Evidence Synthesis Means for Patients
A June 2026 study in BMC Nursing used a systematic review of evidence and a modified Delphi consensus process with nursing specialists to identify and validate the core components of nursing care for adult patients living with a urostomy.
Coming Home With an Ostomy: What the Evidence Says About the Weeks After Discharge
A 2026 best evidence summary published in the Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing reviewed the research on post-discharge follow-up for colorectal cancer patients with a new ostomy, examining which components of structured support in the first weeks at home are backed by published evidence.
Acute Severe Ulcerative Colitis: What the 2026 GETECCU Position Statement Means for Patients
A June 2026 position statement from Spain's IBD working group GETECCU sets out the diagnostic criteria and stepwise treatment pathway for acute severe UC: IV steroids first, rescue therapy if steroids fail, colectomy when rescue therapy is not enough. Here is what patients living with ulcerative colitis should know about this rare but serious complication.
Before Your Stoma Reversal: What a Cochrane Review of 9 Trials Found About Wound Closure and Infection Risk
A 2024 Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomised controlled trials found that purse-string skin closure during stoma reversal cuts the surgical site infection rate to roughly one-fifth of that seen with conventional linear closure — a finding worth discussing with your surgical team.
High-Output Stoma: Five Evidence-Based Strategies and the Electrolyte Risks That Make Prompt Management Essential
A 2026 systematic review of 15 studies maps five categories of intervention for high-output stomas — and names the electrolyte imbalances that, left unmanaged, can lead to kidney injury and preventable readmission.
What the 2026 AGA hemorrhoid update says — and why not every anal symptom is a hemorrhoid
A new American Gastroenterological Association Clinical Practice Update puts fibre, fluids and not straining first for symptomatic hemorrhoids, reserves procedures and surgery for higher grades — and is a reminder that bleeding from the bottom should be checked, not assumed.
Going home within 24 hours after loop ileostomy reversal: what a 2026 systematic review found — and where the data still has gaps
A May 2026 systematic review in the International Journal of Colorectal Disease pooled data from 12 studies covering 30,040 patients and found no statistically significant increase in serious complications for early discharge after loop ileostomy reversal — but the authors urge caution while better-designed trials catch up.
Bowel-wall ultrasound at week 4–8: a 2026 systematic review on whether intestinal ultrasound can flag treatment response in IBD early — and the parts the same review keeps small
A 2026 systematic review and pooled data analysis in the Journal of Crohn's & Colitis brings together 31 studies (18 Crohn's disease, 9 ulcerative colitis, 4 acute severe ulcerative colitis) on intestinal ultrasound as a non-invasive way to predict treatment response. In anti-TNF-treated Crohn's patients, a roughly 23% drop in bowel wall thickness at week 4–8 carried an AUROC of 0.82 for predicting later response — useful, but heterogeneous studies and small UC/ASUC subsets mean this is a research-direction read-out, not a personal decision rule.
AI-guided decisions on a temporary ileostomy in rectal cancer surgery: what a 2026 randomized trial showed — and the caveat its authors put in plain sight
A May 2026 randomized controlled trial in Nature Communications tested a machine-learning tool, RTID, against surgeon discretion to decide whether patients undergoing rectal cancer surgery should also receive a temporary diverting ileostomy. The tool roughly halved the overall stoma rate without an apparent rise in anastomotic leaks — but the same trial was, by the authors' own admission, underpowered to formally prove safety equivalence, and that caveat belongs alongside the headline.
Drinking against the bag: what a 2026 scoping review says about oral rehydration solutions and the ileostomy hydration problem
Staying hydrated with an ileostomy is harder than it looks, and plain water isn't always the answer. A 2026 scoping review surveys what the evidence actually shows on using oral rehydration solutions to manage the fluid and electrolyte side of ileostomy life — and where the gaps still are.
Eating less to feel safer: what a 2026 review says about over-restricting your diet with an ileostomy
Many people with an ileostomy quietly cut food down to avoid problems. A 2026 nutrition review looks at what that trade-off can cost — and why blanket restriction is not the same as good management.