Abstract Aims The purpose of this paper was to perform a bibliometric analysis of the production of qualitative research in scientific journals through aggregation by levels and to identify factors of diversity, such as types of designs, in qualitative research on the experience of having an intestinal stoma between 2002 and 2018. Design Descriptive bibliometric study focused on the production of qualitative research on the subject of study, on three levels: micro, meso and macro. Methods Databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, SciELO, CUIDEN, Lilacs and Google Scholar were used to collect the data, between August ‐ November 2018. Results Nursing was the main area of knowledge. Brazil was the predominant country of origin. The most productive journal was the Journal of Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nursing. English and Portuguese were the main languages of scientific communication. The number of authors was typically between 2 and 6. Authors conducted descriptive and phenomenological studies. Conclusion The present bibliometric study helps us to map the qualitative research on the experiences of individuals with an intestinal stoma and to understand patterns in the designs, methods, disciplines and journals involved in this area of research. This will allow nurses to have a leading contribution to stoma care at their disposal.