INFORMATION AND ADJUSTMENT TO OSTOMY SURGERY

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the timing of self-care information and a person's adjustment to ostomy surgery. A retrospective, descriptive, correlational approach was used. Information from 57 subjects was obtained by using Quality Assurance Questionnaires from the archived files of an Enterostomal Therapy (ET) Nurse Service in West Michigan. Data from these questionnaires were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS/PC+) software. Analysis by linear regression indicated that timing of self-care information is a predictor of adjustment to ostomy surgery. Further analysis of variance after collapsing the groups of respondents indicated a significant difference in adjustment between subjects who received self-care information six or more days before surgery, and those who received this information the day of or after surgery. Analysis of adjustment based on type of ostomy and permanence of ostomy indicated no significant differences. 1