Abstract
Objective The present study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing intervention
program for outpatient rehabilitation of children with Hirschsprung-associated enterocolitis
(HAEC) after radical colectomy for Hirschsprung disease (HD).
Background Postoperative outcomes severely affect the quality of life in pediatric HD patients
after operation. The improvement in defecation function is regarded as one of the
most useful parameters to evaluate the quality of life in HD patients after radical
intestinal resection. A close attention should also be paid to the patients' ability
of social adaptation.
Methods This prospective, randomized control trial enrolled 85 pediatric patients with HAEC
after colectomy. They were randomly divided into the control and intervention groups.
All the patients were followed up for 6 to 12 months after initial HAEC treatment.
Results The intervention group had a lower enterocolitis recurrence rate than the control
group, with a better ability to control defecation and their parents had better rehabilitation
nursing knowledge (p < 0.05). The degree of parents' satisfaction regarding the outcome was significantly
better in the intervention group than that in the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion A systemic rehabilitation nursing program could decrease enterocolitis recurrence,
improve the recovery of anorectal functions, and enhance the quality of life in the
pediatric patients after radical colectomy.
Keywords
Hirschsprung disease - enterocolitis - rehabilitation nursing intervention - quality
of life - colectomy
