Application of the hospital‐family holistic care model in caregivers of patients with permanent enterostomy: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of the hospital‐family holistic care model based on the theory of ‘Timing It Right’ in caregivers of patients with permanent enterostomy. Design A prospective randomized controlled trial. Methods One hundred and twenty‐five caregivers of patients with permanent enterostomy were recruited from 1 May 2017–31 August 2019. They were randomized into either intervention group ( N = 62) or control group ( N = 63). The control group received routine care and follow‐up, while the intervention group received routine care, follow‐up, and hospital‐family holistic care intervention based on ‘Timing It Right’. The care ability, psychological distress, and life quality of the caregivers were evaluated between the groups before the intervention, at discharge, and 3 and 6 months after discharge. Results One hundred and eleven caregivers completed the study (88.8%). At 3 and 6 months after discharge, the care ability and life quality in the intervention group were significantly better than those in the control group ( t = 8.506/9.783, t = 22.652/26.179, p < 0.05) based on the t tests, and the psychological distress was lower than that in the control group. The ostomy adaptability of the control group was significantly lower than that in the intervention group ( p < 0.001) based on the t tests, and the χ 2 test showed that ostomy complication was more than that in the intervention group (23.81% vs. 12.90% and 34.92% vs. 19.35%; p < 0.05) at 3 and 6 months after discharge. The interaction between time and group showed that the effect of time factor varied with the group and the four evaluation indexes in the intervention group gradually improved with the extension of the observation time and were better than those in the control group based on generalized estimating equation model. Conclusion The hospital‐family holistic care model based on ‘Timing It Right’ can effectively improve the care ability of caregivers of patients with permanent enterostomy, reduce psychological distress, and improve the quality of life. Impact The caregivers of patients with permanent enterostomy showed dynamic changes in their care experience and needs at different stages of the disease. The hospital‐family holistic care intervention strategy based on ‘Timing It Right’ can effectively improve the caregiver's care ability, alleviate psychological distress, and improve the quality of life. Additionally, improving the patients' stoma adaptability and reducing the incidence of complications related to ostomy.