Introduction. The nursing process carried out for the benefit of the patient with the newly formed stoma aims primarily at achieving full adaptation to the changing conditions of their own physicality. The nurse should manage the entire process of care and rehabilitation in such a way so that the patient leaving the hospital was independent and self-sufficient. Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of independence in patients after intestinal fistula surgery in 3 days after the surgery and 7 days after the surgery, and to determine what factors affect the autonomy of the patients. Material and methods. The study was conducted in the Department of General, Oncological and Colorectal Surgery in Poznan in the period from 01.02.2014 to 05.05.2014. The study involved 30 patients qualified for the surgery of stoma. In the study, the degree of independence has been evaluated using a 10-point self-care deficit assessment scale (SDS) and basic activities of daily living have been measured with the Katz scale (ADL). Results. The degree of patients’ independence on the 3rd postoperative day was lower than 7 days after the surgery. Patients over 60 years of age in 3 and 7 days after the surgery evinced much larger deficit of independence than those under 60 years of age. It has been shown that the ADL and SDS scales are highly correlated with each other. Conclusions. The results may allow for evaluation of the degree of independence, and thereby for possible modification of the individual patient education. They also indicate that patients over 60 years old need more help to achieve full independence.

Key words: degree of independence, stoma, evaluation during hospitalization, Katz ADL scale, self-care deficit assessment scale (SDS).