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 0.05). 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.