Benefits of a Single-Session, In-Hospital Preoperative Education Program for Patients Undergoing Ostomy Surgery

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a 45-minute session of video-based preoperative ostomy education on self-care knowledge, self-care proficiency, anxiety, depression, length of hospital stay, and ostomy-related complications to a control group who received 3 postoperative educational sessions. DESIGN: This was a randomized controlled trial. SAMPLE AND SETTING: The sample comprised 47 patients scheduled to undergo ostomy surgery for colon or rectal cancer surgery at a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul, South Korea, from November 2018 to May 2019. However, 2 participants in the intervention group and 4 in the control group withdrew from the study and data analysis is based on 41 participants who completed study procedures. METHODS: Participants were randomly allocated to an intervention group (n = 21) or a control group (n = 20). The intervention group received a single 45-minute session of video-based preoperative ostomy education along with stoma site marking and postoperative education. The control group underwent stoma site marking and 3 postoperative education sessions Self-care knowledge, anxiety, and depression were assessed by validated instruments. Self-care proficiency was assessed via direct observation using a checklist. Ostomy-related complications were evaluated by a WOC nurse. Length of hospital stay and disease-related characteristics were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvements in self-care knowledge ( P = .001) and self-care proficiency scores ( P = .001). Intervention group participants also had lower anxiety scores ( P = .025), depression scores ( P = .014), shorter hospital stays ( P = .008), and fewer ostomy-related complications ( P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing ostomy surgery, a single 45-minute session of preoperative video-based ostomy education improved self-care knowledge and proficiency. This intervention also reduced depression, anxiety, and ostomy-related complications.