Survival and psychosocial adjustment to stoma surgery and nonstoma bowel resection: a 4-year follow-up.

A prospective 4-year follow-up study was conducted to compare the psychosocial adjustment process and survival rate of 59 stoma patients with 64 bowel-resected nonstoma patients. Adjustment was assessed at 4 months. 1 year, and 4 years after surgery by the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale, a self-report questionnaire (PAIS-SR).

Prospective evaluation of psychosocial adaptation to stoma surgery: the role of self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy, one's expectations regarding the ability to perform some specific task, was studied prospectively in the adaptation process of stoma patients. One week after surgery, stoma-related self-efficacy was assessed in 59 patients (26 cancer patients and 33 patients with benign diseases) who had undergone intestinal stoma surgery. Twenty-nine items concerning self-efficacy were formulated.

The Rotterdam Daytime Sleepiness Scale: a new daytime sleepiness scale.

A new daytime sleepiness scale was constructed on the basis of interviews with 96 apnea patients (the Rotterdam Daytime Sleepiness Scale) and included three subscales of Global Evaluation, Behavioral Impact, and Affected Life Domains. The scale showed satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity.

Psychosocial adaptation to stoma surgery: a review.

During the last decade strong improvements have been made in the medical care of patients with a digestive tract stoma, particularly with regard to nursing skills and to the quality of collecting material for faecal products. Scientific investigation into the psychosocial adjustment of patients after stoma surgery has intensified as well, giving us indications for quality of life. These developments induced a review of the actual state of affairs in psychological issues.

Quality of Life in patients with resected oesophageal cancer.

Quality of Life (QL) is hard to assess and seldom measured in patients having carcinomas with an unfavourable prognosis. Oesophageal cancer is one of the malignancies with a low 5-year survival rate. Dysphagia (problems in swallowing food) is considered to be the most important indicator of QL in patients with oesophageal carcinoma.