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Hear My Voice! The Experience of Self-Advocacy Among Patients with Enterostomy: A Qualitative Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: This qualitative study aimed to understand the experience of self-advocacy among patients with enterostomy and to identify the behaviors, influencing factors, and benefits of self-advocacy. Methods: A descriptive phenomenological method was used, and the study was conducted from April to June 2024. A total of 17 patients with enterostomy were interviewed, and Colaizzi’s seven-step method was used to analyze interview data. Results: Three themes and thirteen sub-themes were generated: behaviors of self-advocacy (information seeking, effective communication, support seeking, and decision making), influencing factors of self-advocacy (type of enterostomy, economic burden, caregiving burden, stigma, and social support), and benefits of self-advocacy (enhancing self-care skills, enhancing physiological–psychological–social adaptability, dietary habit modification, and peer support). Conclusions: Self-advocacy is a critical tool for overcoming challenges, meeting needs, and cultivating connected strength, and targeted interventions could be designed to improve the levels of self-advocacy and self-management.

Source: Nursing Reports

DOI: 10.3390/nursrep15090341

Authors: Yanlin Shen, Yashi Zou, Juan Du, Shaoqi Chen, Jing Tan, Huijuan Ma

Institutions: Army Medical University, Chinese People's Liberation Army, Xinqiao Hospital, Daping Hospital

Language: English

Topic: Stoma care and complications

Subfield: Surgery

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172