The Effectiveness of a Self-management Program of Bowel Dysfunction in Patients With Mid and Low Rectal Cancer After Sphincter-Preserving Surgery

Background Most patients with mid and low rectal cancer passively react to bowel symptoms after sphincter-preserving surgery (SPS), and their self-management behaviors are scarce in the Chinese patient population. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a self-management program for bowel symptoms in patients with mid and low rectal cancer after SPS. Methods A convenient sampling method was used to recruit patients with mid and low rectal cancer after SPS in gastric wards from 2 tertiary hospitals in Beijing, China. Ninety-five patients (intervention, n = 47; control, n = 48) were recruited. The intervention group received a predetermined self-management program plus routine postoperative care; the control group received only routine care in the ward. Data on patients’ bowel symptoms, quality of life, and bowel symptom self-management behaviors were collected at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively using questionnaires. A generalized estimating equation was adopted to examine group effect and time effect. Results Bowel symptoms and quality of life in both the intervention and control groups of patients improved significantly 6 months after SPS compared with baseline (time effect, P < .001). The total score of patients’ bowel symptom self-management behaviors and the score of the therapeutic domain increased significantly in the intervention group compared with those in the control group (group effect, P = .009). Conclusions Self-management programs could help prompt patients’ self-management behaviors, but the extent to which they impact patients’ bowel symptoms requires further investigation. Implications for Practice The bowel dysfunction self-management program could alter the behavior of patients. It also effectively improves self-management strategies for bowel symptoms.