Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing care of patients who have undergone anterior resection for rectal cancer, concerning reduction of defecation disorder. Analysis of 13 nursing studies (11 Japanese, 2 English) and 5 medical studies (2 Japanese, 3 English) elucidated aspects whereby difficulties with unpredictable defecation and fecal incontinence were dealt with by trial and error. Although only a small number of cases were reported, the effect of reduced defecation frequency due to pelvic floor muscle training was indicated. Furthermore, biofeedback was indicated as an effective method for conducting pelvic floor exercises. For nursing outcome, focus is necessary not only on symptoms improvement, but also on acquisition of feelings of control including awareness and judgment leading to appropriate defecation. Future issues include methods of pelvic floor muscle including biofeedback and how to promote self-care, discussion of nursing outcome, and progress in research validating nursing care.
