Health Literacy on Self-Care for Patients with Elimination Stomas: An Integrative Review

Elimination ostomy resulting from colorectal cancer leads to physiological and psychosocial changes across all dimensions of the patient’s life. Health literacy therefore becomes essential for patient autonomy in rehabilitation and for supporting family members in home care. This study aims to synthesize scientific evidence on health literacy related to self-care among patients with elimination ostomies. This is an Integrative Review grounded in Evidence-Based Practice, to be conducted in six stages: identification of the theme and selection of the research question; definition of inclusion and exclusion criteria; categorization of studies; evaluation of the sample included in the review; interpretation of results; and synthesis of the main evidence from the analyzed articles, guided by the research question: “What scientific evidence exists regarding health literacy in relation to self-care among patients with elimination ostomies?” Searches will be conducted in the following databases: Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science (WOS), and the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (PubMed), according to established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data from the selected sample will be analyzed with regard to study identification, characteristics, methodological rigor, and outcomes. The expected contribution is to advance discussions on health literacy in relation to self-care among patients with elimination ostomies, supporting improvements in healthcare team practices, identifying knowledge gaps, and promoting patient autonomy in physical and psychosocial rehabilitation. Keywords: Health Literacy. Surgical Stomas. Self Care. Rehabilitation. Personal Autonomy.