Perception of people with intestinal ostomy about their quality of life

Abstract

Objectives: to know the perception of intestinal ostomized people about their quality of life. Methods: Exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Performed at a Stomatherapy Service. Twenty-six people with permanent or temporary intestinal stoma aged 18 years or older participated in the study. Data were collected in October and November 2019, after approval by the Research Ethics Committee, under opinion No. 253/2019, through a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The data were submitted to Content Analysis. Results: The quality of life of people with intestinal ostomy is affected by complications of the ostomy and changes in their social roles, as well as the emotional and physiological changes resulting from ostomy. Conclusions: It is noteworthy that the positive effects on quality of life may be associated with the way people react to their own ostomy. Most participants reported having a good quality of life.