Living with and without an intestinal stoma: Factors that promote psychological well-being and self-care: A cross-sectional study.
Ellen Simpson, Kirsty Pourshahidi, James Davis and 6 others
PMID 37840444WHAT IT FOUND
Stoma patients who leaked weekly or monthly reported poorer mental health, higher stress, and poorer quality of life than those with infrequent leaks or no stoma.
Those one to three years after surgery also reported poorer physical health.
Key findings
01Stoma participants who leaked weekly or monthly reported more mental health problems, lower positive well-being, higher stress, and poorer physical health quality of life than those with infrequent leaks or no stoma.
02Those with a stoma for one to three years reported poorer physical health quality of life than those with a stoma for more than ten years and than non-stoma participants.
03Ninety-eight percent of stoma participants had experienced a leak, and 78% reported sore skin around the stoma.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study used an online sample recruited through social media and stoma groups, so people who chose to respond may have been more distressed or more motivated than all stoma patients. Stoma status, leaks, and sore skin were self-reported and not verified by a nurse or doctor. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that leaks or the first few years after surgery caused poorer well-being. The sample was mostly female and well-educated, and it did not distinguish permanent from temporary stomas or stoma cause. Some duration comparisons had small groups, especially the combined under one year group with 11 participants.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that having a stoma causes poorer mental health, or that preventing leaks will improve well-being. This was a cross-sectional survey with self-reported stoma status and symptoms, so it shows associations at one time point, not cause and effect.