Author Affiliation: Department of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taiwan.
Cancer Nurs. 2022;45(6):E890-E896. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001036. Epub 2021 Nov 24.
Rectal cancer patients who have undergone lower anterior resection with sphincter-saving surgery often experience loss of bowel control. We currently do not have suitable treatment regimens for such patients.
The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of losing bowel control in patients who have undergone lower anterior resection with sphincter-saving surgery for rectal cancer in Taiwan.
A descriptive phenomenological study design was adopted. Purposive sampling and one-on-one semistructured interviews were conducted for data collection. Narratives were analyzed using Colaizzi's method.
Data saturation was achieved after interviewing 12 patients (8 men, 4 women) whose average age was 61 years. Three themes and 11 subthemes emerged: physical problems (pain from broken perianal skin, insomnia, decreased physical strength, and body weight loss), adverse psychological reactions (worries, helplessness, and social isolation), and the use of coping strategies (avoidance of inappropriate foods to reduce bowel irritation and peristalsis, reduction of food intake, and use of antidiarrheal drugs and perianal skincare products).
The study supports the importance of having a good understanding of patient experiences by healthcare professionals to provide more effective healthcare. Furthermore, awareness of the cultural issue of social isolation was deemed important for providing individualized healthcare.
Education, counseling, and psychological support can enhance patients' abilities to use coping strategies to overcome the physical and mental challenges of bowel symptoms. For example, appropriate diet-related education programs must be developed to reduce the trial-and-error learning process commonly adopted by patients to identify inappropriate foods.
接受保肛低位前切除术的直肠癌患者常出现排便控制丧失。目前，我们尚无针对此类患者的合适治疗方案。
本研究旨在探讨台湾地区接受保肛低位前切除术的直肠癌患者丧失排便控制的体验。
采用描述性现象学研究设计。采用目的抽样和一对一半结构式访谈进行数据收集。使用 Colaizzi 方法对叙述进行分析。
对 12 名（8 名男性，4 名女性）平均年龄为 61 岁的患者进行访谈后达到数据饱和。出现 3 个主题和 11 个子主题：身体问题（肛周皮肤破损引起的疼痛、失眠、体力下降和体重减轻）、负面心理反应（担忧、无助和社会孤立）和应对策略的使用（避免食用易引起肠道刺激和蠕动的食物以减少腹泻，减少食物摄入以及使用止泻药和肛周皮肤护理产品）。
该研究支持医疗保健专业人员通过良好了解患者体验来提供更有效的医疗保健的重要性。此外，意识到社会孤立的文化问题对于提供个性化医疗保健很重要。
教育、咨询和心理支持可以增强患者使用应对策略克服肠道症状身心挑战的能力。例如，必须制定适当的饮食相关教育计划，以减少患者为确定不合适食物而采用的反复试验学习过程。
