Health-related quality of life and its relevant factors in Japanese patients with a urostomy.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a group of community-dwelling persons with urostomies.

SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS: The study sample comprised 60 people with urostomies who had been discharged for at least 1 month prior to participation and attended an ostomy outpatient clinic at a municipal hospital in Osaka, Japan.

METHODS

Data were collected via interview. Health-related quality of life was assessed using a Japanese language version of the Medical Outcomes Research Short Form 36, version 2. Demographic and clinical data were collected via questionnaire designed for this study that queried age, cancer diagnosis, time since surgery, type of urostomy, job status, presence of visual disorders, peristomal skin problem, information about caregivers in the home, and participation in a support group. Health-related quality of life scores were adjusted by gender and age distribution from standard scores among the general population in Japan.

RESULTS

The majority of participants (85.0%) were diagnosed with bladder cancer, and the median time since surgery was 3.4 years. Health-related quality of life scores among those who had surgery during the past 4 years were significantly lower than scores of participants living with an ostomy for more than 4 years. Ostomy surgery associated with an underlying cause other than bladder cancer was associated with a significantly lower score on the social function domain of the Medical Outcomes Research Short Form 36, version 2. Presence of a support person at home was associated with significantly lower scores on the mental health domain. Participation in a support group for persons with ostomies significantly lowered the body pain domain score.

CONCLUSION

This study shows the factors relevant to the HRQOL of the participants with urostomies. We recommend that WOC nurses should pay particular attention to people who had ostomy surgery and had such factors, because of the higher likelihood for lower HRQOL.