| Summary: | The creation of a permanent colostomy has implications for the physical and psychosocial wellbeing of the individual. Studies reviewed have suggested that effective patient teaching is a way of assisting individuals to develop coping strategies to manage the physical changes in the body and patterns of social and emotional interaction.
This descriptive study is based on the theory that the adult is able to self-diagnose learning needs and actively participate in the planning of learning to meet these needs.
Data were collected and analyzed to identify the learning needs and resource utilization of patients with a newly created permanent colostomy from their perspective. Patient interviews were conducted with eight participants ten to twenty-one days postdischarge from hospital, using a semistructured interview guide developed by the researcher.
Findings of the study suggested that participants were able to self-define the knowledge and skills that allowed them to develop positive coping behaviors to manage their newly created permanent colostomy. Themes which emerged from the data collected were the need to get on with life, the person's need to tell "their story" to reinforce their individuality, and the need to develop mastery over the physical aspects of stoma care. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Nursing, School of === Graduate
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