Effect of colostomy care education on self-care among patients with permanent colostomy in a Public Hospital in Lahore

Abstract

A colostomy is a surgical opening in the abdomen to create a stoma, a portion of the colon is pushed outside the abdominal wall by which digested food goes into an external pouching system. Objectives: To compare the effect of colostomy care education and standard care on self-care among patients with a permanent colostomy at tertiary care hospital in Lahore. Methods: A quasi experimental study was conducted in a public hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Purposive Sampling technique was used to collect the data. The order within the participants belonging to the control group or intervention group was chosen randomly by the sealed envelope method. Results: In this study, 46 adult patients with permanent colostomy of both genders were included. Patients were divided into two equal groups. The colostomy self-care in the interventional group of patients had increased significantly after the implementation of educational intervention as compared to the control group. Similarly, the complications in the interventional group have decreased due to self-care practices as compared to the control group. Conclusions: Educational interventions can increase the level of self-care which may ultimately decrease the risk of complications after a colostomy. Educating the patients with coping strategies after colostomy can help in keeping the stoma healthy, maintaining lifestyle and also reducing the risk of postoperative complications