Healthcare professionals play a key role in meeting individuals’
informational needs on colostomy care. Because of
trust in the authority of healthcare professionals, all informants
in this study had learnt about colostomy and its care
mostly from their surgeons and nurses. The timely, adequate
and precise provision of information is vital for the individuals
to decide whether to accept the fecal diversion, learn and
master usage of stoma appliances, and handle colostomyrelated
problems. It has been suggested that teaching stoma
self-care should take place as early as possible in order to
facilitate recovery and early discharge due to shortened hospital
stays (Thorpe et al., 2014). Meanwhile, the individuals
need a gradual process to reduce dependence on healthcare
professionals and increase personal autonomy and independence.
Healthcare professionals should recognize individual
diversity, cultural differences, believe in their potential,
encourage them to perform self-care behavior, and accept
proper family caregiving.