Cristilene Akiko Kimura

Quality of life from oncological patients with definitive and temporary colostomy

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer is one of the most prevalent neoplasms in the western world. Colostomy, temporary or permanent, can be a serious limiting factor affecting the quality of life of oncological patients. OBJECTIVE: To compare the quality of life of oncological patients with definitive and temporary colostomy. METHODS: Descriptive cross-sectional study carried out at a public hospital in Brasilia, Federal District of Brazil. The study analyzed 39 patients with colorectal cancer, 76.9% males, sorted into two groups: definitive ostomy (n=26) and temporary ostomy (n=13). The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-bref questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Data were analyzed using Excel 2007 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences 19.0. RESULTS: 50% of definitive and 76.9% of temporary ostomy patients reported that the physical pain did not interfere in the affairs. 38.5% of definitive and 46.2% of temporary ostomy accepted their physical appearance. 46.2% of definitive and 53.8% of temporary ostomy reported good quality of life. 84.6% of definitive and 46.2% of temporary ostomy did not enjoy their life. 50% of definitive and 53.8% of temporary ostomy were satisfied with their sleep. 57.7% of definitive and 53.8% of temporary ostomy considered the environments as healthy. Over 70% of definitive and over 50% of temporary ostomy had financial constraints and were dissatisfied with leisure opportunities, respectively. 69.2% of definitive and 46.2% of temporary ostomy presented lower libido. 88.5% of definitive and 61.5% of temporary ostomy attended the church. CONCLUSION: The results showed that temporary ostomy patients suffer the same afflictions as the patients with definitive ostomy, equally affecting the quality of life of these patients.

Quality of Life of Colorectal Cancer Patients with Intestinal Stomas

This descriptive, cross-sectional, epidemiological study set out to analyze the association between domains and facets of quality of life among colorectal cancer patients attending the Outpatient Care Program for Patients with Stomas run by the Health Department of the Federal District, in Brazil. It was used a non-probability sampling with the inclusion of 120 participants during the period from November 2009 to August 2011. Statistical analysis used version 20.0 of the SPSS Software as recommended by the World Health Organization. Statistical significance adopted was p-value <0.05. Quality of Life was assessed using the WHOQOL-bref questionnaire. The facets of the Physical, Social Relations and Environmental domains showed statistically significant (p<0.0001) correlation with the average scores. In the Psychological Domain, only the facet “positive feelings” was not statistically significant. The study pointed out that the creation of an intestinal stoma as part of neoplasm treatment leads to significant changes in the physical body and suffering associated to the newly imposed lifestyle, affecting physical and psychological aspects as well as social relations and the individuals’ environment, thereby jeopardizing their quality of life in various dimensions. This knowledge is important insofar as it can contribute to the elaboration of holistic public policies, to the reorganization of care practices provided to health service users, and to the construction of education programs promoting health and rehabilitation specifically directed at meeting the real needs of this group.