Abstract: Objective: To understand the current situation of wound and stoma outpatient departments in Hunan Province, and to provide reference for the management and the formulation of relevant policies. Methods: From November to December 2022, a self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate the operation status, facilities, resources, nursing staff and difficulties met in the development of these wound and stoma outpatient departments in 53 medical institutions in Hunan Province. Results: A total of 53 such outpatient departments and 127 staff nurses were surveyed. According to the survey, 36 (67.92%) outpatient departments belonged to tertiary Grade A hospitals and 17 (32.08%) belonged to tertiary Grade B hospitals and below. Statistically significant differences were observed when comparing the operation status such as out-hospital consultation and specialist nurse training, facilities such as continuous nursing platform construction and resources such as hydrophilic dressing (P<0.05) among wound and stoma outpatient departments at different levels. Nurses working in tertiary Grade A hospitals had longer professional working years, richer learning experience outside the province, and more papers published (P<0.05). 50 (94.34%) departments complained about that the low price of wound and stoma care, and 48 (90.57%) departments thought that granting the prescription right to specialist nurses could promote their development. Conclusion: The wound and stoma care departments in Hunan Province have developed steadily, which have achieved certain results in meeting the health needs of patients and training specialized nursing personnel. In the future, we should invest more in hardware and software facilities, optimize the allocation of nursing resources and improve relevant support policies, so as to promote the sustainable development of the wound and stoma care departments.

Key words: wound; stoma; Nurse-Led Clinics; cross-sectional study; nursing management