Clinical application of the “Perrotta-Guerrieri Psychological Care for Ostomy Patients” (PCOP) protocol and integrated questionnaire on adult ostomy patients

Abstract

Background. Much attention is paid in the literature to the psychological profiles associated with ostomies, but until 2022 there was a lack of a psychoclinic instrument that was able to investigate all 9 individual subjective functions possibly impaired by the ostomate condition and the degree of impairment. For this reason, "Perrotta-Guerrieri Psychological Care for Ostomy Patients" (PCOP) was developed for all clinical phases, in 45 items with an L1-5 response scale, for the study of quality of life in the ostomized patient, which was also able to offer from the therapist a holistic understanding of the problem in all its phases (pre-operative, operative, postoperative, follow-up), integrating a patient-specific clinical intervention protocol. Materials and Methods. Clinical interview and battery of psychometric questionnaires. Results. Of 58 patients (M: 57.3 years), divided into two groups (CG and Cg) of equal distribution, the group in which the protocol was applied (CG) achieved quantifiable benefits to the extent of 50-75% individually and 97% in the total group. Conclusions. PCOP is a psychoclinical tool that can offer therapists the opportunity to explore the issue of patient quality of life and best focus on the most appropriate and targeted clinical intervention.