Evaluation of patients adjustment to living with stoma

Background: The stoma formation might be recognized as hard-to-accept deformation influencing the whole aspects of stoma patient’s life because of changed familiarity and acceptance for the body, lowered self-esteem and position in those patients.
Aim of the study: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the adjustment of patients to living with stoma.
Material and methods: Investigations were carried out in a group of 30 stoma patients either hospitalized in Dept. of General Surgery or attending to meetings of Pol-Ilko, the Polish Society for Stoma Patients. Conventional forms such as AIS, AWLS and IZZ questionnaires as well as the additional, proprietary questionnaire were used for the purpose of the study.
Results: It’s ileostomy rather than colostomy that inconvenience stoma patients more (χ²: 5.83; df=1; p=0.0157). The need for assistance in stoma bag changing was quite often in patients in their very first 12 months after the stoma procedure (χ²: 4.75; df=1; p=0.0293) while most of them became self- sufficient afterwards. The inconveniences of restrictions caused by the disease were described hard by each fourth stoma patient. According to SWLS form the quality of life was defined high (30%), average (40%) and low (30%).
Conclusions:
1. Stoma origin (small vs. large bowel) may influence the patient’s independent stoma self care. 2. The initiatory need for assistance in stoma bag changing is short-termed and most patients become self- sufficient after couple of months. 3. Adjustment of patients to living with stoma seems average and more troublesome in female patients 4. The quality of life is reported average or high in most of the cases.