Research priorities about stoma‐related quality of life from the perspective of people with a stoma: A pilot survey

BACKGROUND There is a recognized need to include patients in setting research priorities. Research priorities identified by people with a stoma are rarely elicited. OBJECTIVES To improve the quality of life of people with a stoma through use of evidence-based practice based on research priorities set by patients. DESIGN AND METHODS Online pilot survey publicized in 2016 via United Kingdom stoma charities. People ranked nine stoma-related quality of life topics in order of research priority. PARTICIPANTS People 16 years of age and over who currently have or have had a stoma for treatment for any medical condition. ANALYSIS Distributions of the priority scores for each of the nine research topics were examined. Group differences were explored using either the Mann-Whitney U-test or the Kruskal-Wallis test depending on the number of groups. RESULTS In total, 225 people completed the survey. The most important research priority was pouch leak problems and stoma bag/appliance problems followed by hernia risk. There were statistically significant differences in ranking research priorities between males and females, age, underlying disease that led to a stoma, stoma type and length of time with a stoma. CONCLUSION People with a stoma are willing to engage in and set research priorities. The results should contribute towards future research about setting the research agenda for the study of stoma-related concerns that impact quality of life.