A Different View of Stoma: Living with a Person with Stoma

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Stomas cause various physical, psychological and social problems among individuals and their family members both when they are created and in the post-hospital period. In the present study, an in-depth interview was conducted with a family member of a person with stoma. A structured questionnaire was utilized in this interview period. The entire 60-minute interview was recorded with a voice recorder. The collected data were analyzed by inductive method, and themes and sub-themes were identified. The daughter of the stoma patient, E.Y., is a 51-year-old married housewife with two children. Her mother underwent ileostomy due to rectal cancer. From the results of the analysis of the interview, four core themes were determined as need for information, quality of life, adjustment issues and difficulties, and suggestions to other individuals with stoma, together with their sub-themes. The core and sub-themes structured within the present study vividly illustrate how her life was affected and the problems she encountered. Therefore, adjustment to living with stoma must be regarded as a process that includes all family members. In order to accelerate the adjustment process to living with person with stoma, it is also important to include family members in this adjustment process. Hence, needs of the family of a person with stoma must be determined in advance, prior to the surgery, and relevant nursing interventions appropriate for the family must be determined and implemented.