Effect of a nursing intervention strategy oriented by Orem's self-care theory on the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients after colon cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of nursing intervention strategies based on the Orem self-care theory on the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients after colon cancer surgery. METHODS: In this prospective study, a total of 115 patients with colon cancer who had radical resection of the colon cancer tissue were selected as the research subjects and randomized into two groups: an Orem group (59 cases), which was given nursing based on the Orem self-care model and a control group (56 cases), which was given regular nursing. The postoperative recovery of the two groups was compared. RESULTS: After the intervention, the time to first getting out of bed, gastric tube removal, first postoperative flatus, first fluid food intake and general food intake were significantly earlier than those of the control group. Time of intestinal peristalsis and the average length of hospital stay of the Orem group were much shorter than those of the control group (all P<0.001). The cost of nutrient supply of the Orem group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.001), and the postoperative pain and incidence of complications of patients in the Orem group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). After 3 months of follow-up, the scores of positive attitude, intimacy and total score of hope in the hope level of the patients in the Orem group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.01). There was no significant difference in the positive action scores (P>0.05). Besides, the scores of the Orem group in all dimensions of the quality of life were significantly higher than those of the control group (all P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Nursing intervention based on the Orem self-care theory can promote the recovery of patients with colon cancer after surgery, speed up the recovery of their gastrointestinal function, and ultimately improve their level of hope and quality of life. Therefore, it is worthy of promotion in clinical practice.