MUHAMMAD SABIR, AZEEM KALEEM, SARFRAZ MASIH
DOI: https://doi.org/Background: An ostomy is a surgically created opening that allows waste to exit the body, with the external opening known as a stoma. In children, intestinal stomas are commonly created for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, trauma, Hirschsprung’s disease, and anorectal malformations, making a clear understanding of stoma anatomy and care essential for preventing complications and improving quality of life.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental single-group pre–post design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on mothers’ knowledge and practices regarding intestinal stoma care. The study was conducted over nine months in the Pediatric Surgery Department of the Children’s Hospital and included 49 purposively selected mothers of children aged 0–12 years with colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy. The intervention, delivered over 16 weeks in structured 45–60-minute sessions. Data were collected using validated knowledge and a practice checklist. Post-intervention assessments were conducted using the same tools. Data were analyzed in SPSS 27. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained prior to data collection.
Results: The study included 49 mothers, most aged 27–35 years (61.22%), predominantly illiterate or under-matric (73.45%), housewives (79.59%), and residing in rural areas (61.22%). Before the intervention, 95.9% of mothers had poor knowledge and 97.9% had poor practices regarding stoma care. Following the educational intervention, knowledge improved markedly, with 93.87% achieving good knowledge (p < 0.001), and practices increased significantly, with 91.8% demonstrating good practice levels (p = 0.002). Mean knowledge scores increased from 1.57 ± 0.65 to 2.69 ± 0.62, and mean practice scores rose from 1.94 ± 0.99 to 21.67 ± 7.28.
Conclusion: The educational intervention significantly improved mothers’ knowledge and practices regarding intestinal stoma care, transforming most from poor to good levels. This highlights the effectiveness of structured, nurse-led education in enabling safe and proper care for children with intestinal stomas.
