The aim of this study was to validate City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire (CoH-QoL-OQ) for assessing the quality of life (QoL) of ostomy patients in the Republic of Croatia. The CoH-QoL-OQ is widely used, but has not been translated or validated so it can be used in the Republic of Croatia. This cross-sectional study encompassed 302 surgery patients with colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy (182 (60.3%) male and 120 (39.7%) female), whose average age is 59 (M = 59.3, SD = 15.8). The CoH-QoL-OQ was translated into Croatian language using accepted guidelines for translation. Patients were recruited in a telephone conversation, followed by mail containing the CoH-QoL–OQ delivered to the home addresses of the patients who agreed to participate. The collected data were analyzed to verify psychometric properties of the questionnaire on the Croatian sample. All subscales showed high level of internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.73–0.89). The test-retest reliability indicated a very satisfactory temporal stability (r = 0.99). The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), showed that the originally established model was not adequate for the data (χ² = 4237.88, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.540, NNFI = 0.481, RMSEA = 0.113). However, after modification that excluded problematic items, the data showed a better fit with the theoretical model (except for the LR chi-square test that remained statistically significant: χ² = 1144.28, p < 0.01, CFI = 0.869, NNFI = 0.855 RMSEA = 0.077). We conclude that the CoH-QoL-OQ is a valid, reliable, and reducible instrument for measuring the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Croatian patients with ostomy in clinical research and clinical practice.

Aim. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine all available research studies on quality of life of ostomy patients and their families, which is contingent upon the effects of adequate preoperational education, the best and most acceptable ostomy site marking on the patients’ abdomen, and subsequently, the effect on the ostomy patients’ self-esteem. Methods. A literature search was carried out using scientific electronic databases - Science Direct, PubMed and Medline. Analysed period was from 2010 to 2016 in order to get insight into the most recent findings. Search terms included preoperative education, stoma marking, quality of life, self-esteem, influence on family life. Overview of articles was made in three stages. Results. We found 1440 scientific articles. In the first stage, we eliminated 1271 articles because they were unsuitable. In the second stage, we analysed 34 articles and made a conclusion based on 13 full text available articles. Conclusion. The patient is content while being treated in the hospital; however, only after the patient has been released do the hardships occur, which are often the main cause of discontent, isolation, anxiety, and fear – thus resulting in diminished quality of life. Preoperational education and marking the most acceptable place for ostomy procedure significantly affect the self-esteem and the quality of life of ostomy patients and their families. Ostomy patients need to be followed up, and the home care system, as well as the support systems of public health care for patients with a gastrointestinal ostomy, need to be strengthened.