2022 Volume 25 Issue 4 Pages 665-676
Purpose: To clarify the actual conditions for acquiring stoma care skills related to defecation and urination and to evaluate the factors influencing skill acquisition and independence among ostomates after stoma construction.
Methods: The present, single-center cohort study enrolled 107 patients who underwent stoma construction between January 1 and December 31, 2013. Changes in their skills and independence status related to defecation and urination during inpatient and post-discharge stoma outpatient care were followed to April 30, 2019. The time required to learn how to change, empty, and order an ostomy pouch was evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard model were used to examine the effects of sex, age at surgery, disease, urgency of surgery, type of stoma, and preoperative activities of daily living（ADL）on independence status.
Results: The mean and maximum follow-up period was 1.96 years and 5.96 years, respectively, and there were 1,424 data items. The learning rate for changing, emptying, and ordering an ostomy pouch in year 2 after ostomy construction was 0.69（95% confidence interval（CI）: 0.58-0.78）, 0.93（CI: 0.81-0.97）, and 0.50（CI: 0.40-0.59）, respectively. The hazard ratio was significantly lower for elderly patients with a low preoperative ADL.
Conclusion: The acquisition of voiding management skills was negatively affected by age and preoperative ADL.
