The object of this study is the role of the nurse in the process of rehabilitation of persons with stomas, with emphasis on their inclusion in work. The objective was to discuss, from the perspective of the person with a stoma, the guidance provided by the nurses in relation to inclusion in work activities. It is descriptive-exploratory qualitative research, carried out using a semi-structured interview with twenty persons with permanent stomas, in a rehabilitation institute in Rio de Janeiro. The results showed that few of the people with stomas received guidance from the nursing professionals in relation to returning to work activities, and the health professionals were not referred to as essential for the study's subjects' rehabilitative process. It is concluded that there are gaps and misconceptions in this process of rehabilitation, principally in relation to the advice on social inclusion through work, which may be caused by the nurses' lack of knowledge regarding the issue; and the non-application of Systematization of Nursing Care.
Worker's health; Surgical stomas; Rehabilitation