AIM: Patients with permanent colostomy need continuous nursing management measures. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of discharge planning combined with “Internet home ostomy care platform'' on post-discharge complications, self-management abilities, quality of life, and satisfaction of patients with permanent colostomy after rectal cancer surgery. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 72 rectal cancer patients who underwent permanent colostomy in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital between January 2021 and December 2021. Patients receiving routine nursing management were included in the control group (n = 36), and those receiving discharge planning combined with “Internet home ostomy care platform'' were included in the study group (n = 36). We collected baseline data, complication rate, self-management behavior questionnaire for Chinese enterostomy patients (SBQ-CEP), and Chinese version of the City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire (COH-QOL-OQ) and Medical Experience Scale for Outpatient Care of Enterostomy (MES-OCE) score. The complication rate, self-management ability, quality of life, and satisfaction of the two groups were statistically compared and analyzed. RESULTS: The study group demonstrated significantly higher medical compliance behavior, dietary behavior, symptom management behavior, psychosocial behavior, information management behavior scores, and SBQ-CEP total scores compared to the control group six months after discharge (p < 0.05). However, the study group showed a significantly lower incidence of complications than the control group at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after discharge (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the study group demonstrated significantly lower psychological well-being, physical well-being, spiritual well-being, social well-being scores, and COH-QOL-OQ total scores compared to the control group 6 months after discharge (p < 0.05). Additionally, the study group indicated significantly higher environment and process, service attitude, health guidance, diagnosis and treatment effect, overall evaluation of treatment experience scores, and MES-OCE total scores compared to the control group 6 months after discharge (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Discharge planning combined with “Internet home ostomy care platform'' can effectively reduce the risk of complications in patients with permanent colostomy after rectal cancer surgery. It improves patients' self-management abilities, quality of life, and satisfaction. This finding provides an ongoing guarantee for the quality of rehabilitation at home for patients with permanent colostomy.