In the UK, and indeed most of Europe stoma nurses or enterostomal therapists work hand in hand with the surgical teams to ensure the best outcomes for our patients following stoma-forming surgery. This often involves a close working relationship with excellent communication between all members of the multidisciplinary team. I have just returned from an 11-day trip to Tehran in Iran, where I had been invited to deliver seminars at several different hospitals to teach the principles of stoma siting and addressing some of the common skin-related complications often associated with living with a stoma. Leaving London Heathrow airport I had a slight air of apprehension, as I was travelling to a country that has not had the best of press in recent years. Given its borders with Iraq and Afghanistan I was also uncomfortably aware of some of the recent horror stories involving aid convoys and humanitarian aid in these areas. This apprehension was slightly reduced given that I was to be in the far north of the country, away from these border areas. However, on arrival at Khomeini Airport, Tehran, I soon began to realise these feelings were not warranted. We were greeted at arrivals and passport control by' a very cheerful chap who wished us a pleasant stay in his country and appeared genuinely pleased to stamp our visa and passport as we proceeded through into Tehran.
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