Use of an Application to Increase Self-Care Ability, Improve Quality of Life, and Decrease Stoma Complications in Patients With Ileocystoplasty or Ureterostomy Due to Bladder Cancer

Background: Quality of life for patients after ileocystoplasty or ureterostomy due to a urinary bladder neoplasm can be limited after discharge from the hospital. Purpose: To add the real-time communication ability of an application (app) to the daily care of this patient population to enhance communication between doctors and patients and provide improved nursing interventions, thus improving patients' self-care abilities and quality of life while decreasing stoma complications. Methods: A total of 67 patients who underwent urinary tract diversion after total cystectomy were randomly divided into 2 groups. Patients in the control group (n = 32) received regular telephone follow-ups when they were discharged from the hospital, once a week for the first 2 months and then once a month for the next 22 months; patients in the intervention group (n = 35) used an app in addition to receiving regular telephone follow-ups. After 24 months of the intervention, multivariate analyses were conducted regarding self-care ability, complication rate, and quality of life. Results: Self-care ability and quality of life scores in the intervention group were significantly improved during the 24-month period, and the complication rate was significantly reduced. Conclusion: Interaction via an app improved patients' self-care ability and quality of life. In addition, stoma complications were reduced. Future studies with larger sample sizes and patients of different ages are needed.