Quality of Life and Adjustment Evaluation Tools for Persons Living With an Ostomy

The purpose of this narrative review was to identify instruments used to evaluate health-related quality of life (QoL) among individuals living with an ostomy. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Scopus databases were searched from January 1948 to May 2023. We searched for studies describing the development and validation of instruments used to measure QoL in people living with an ostomy. Twelve instruments were identified, 7 of which were developed specifically for ostomy populations and were the focus of this review. We assert that generic QoL scales are insufficient for capturing the unique physical, psychological, and social impacts of living with an ostomy. We found 7 ostomy-specific instruments. Selection of an appropriate tool should be guided by the clinical context, available time, and population served. Shorter instruments are recommended for use in the clinical setting, whereas a more comprehensive instrument was recommended for a detailed evaluation in the clinical setting or use in the research setting.