Pelvic floor muscle exercise for fecal incontinence quality of life after coloanal anastomosis

Aims and objectives To assess the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle exercise for enhancing fecal incontinence quality of life after coloanal anastomosis in colorectal cancer patients. Background Methods of improving incontinence have been evaluated in many countries, but never in a Taiwan population. Design A longitudinal experimental study. Methods Fifty‐two colorectal cancer patients who had received colostomy closure and coloanal anastomosis surgery were recruited from a general hospital in southern Taiwan and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 26) or a control group (n = 26). Both groups received routine postoperative care. However, the experimental group received private consultations, educational DVDs and pamphlets to instruct them in performing pelvic flow muscle exercise. In all participants, the Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale was used to measure quality of life before discharge and at one, two, three, six and nine months after discharge. Generalised estimating equations were used to compare longitudinal effects between the two groups. Results The generalised estimating equations revealed that all participants had significantly improved Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale scores at two, three, six and nine months after discharge. Compared to the controls, however, the experimental group had significantly higher scores at two, three, and six months after discharge. Conclusions Patient education in pelvic floor muscle exercise positively affects Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale scores in patients who have received coloanal anastomosis. Relevance to clinical practice Early education in pelvic floor muscle exercise can improve management of fecal incontinence symptoms after coloanal anastomosis and can improve quality of life.