QUALITY OF LIFE OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH COLOSTOMY AND ILEOSTOMY, WITH REFERENCE TO PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS

BACKGROUND Stoma surgery is a lifesaving procedure performed for the management of several benign and malignant gastrointestinal problems. Restricted physical and social activities with disturbed sexual relationships are common causes of a poor quality of life (QOL) in this group of patients. This study aims to accurately assess the QOL of patients undergoing stoma surgery using a QOL assessment tool. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was cross sectional observational study. 60 patients were interviewed about their quality-of-life dimensions by purposeful sampling. predesigned proforma. "Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire" was used during scheduled interview with patients. RESULTS Skin irritation was seen in 85.3% of patients with benign disease against 61.5% of patients with malignant cause as primary disease, p value 0.035. Patients undergoing intestinal stoma surgery, who had undergone preoperative counselling, have significantly low skin irritation problems with p value 0.005. For psychological wellbeing, the median raw score for all patients was 65, range 46 to 80, with score of 6.45 +/- 0.08. The psychological score was higher in non-counseling arm 6.61 +/- 0.55 versus 5.68 +/- 0.69 in counseled arm, p value <0.001. CONCLUSION Detailed preoperative counseling explaining the course of treatment is the key for an excellent recovery. Identification of data in the perspective of scant presence of Indian data will allow caregivers to formulate strategies for better stoma management with formation of the stoma care team.