Impact of comprehensive nursing intervention on postoperative respiratory function, quality of life, and self-care in lung cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and surgery

Background: This study aimed to investigate the impact of a comprehensive nursing plan on post-radiooperative respiratory function, quality of life (QoL), and self-care ability in patients with lung cancer (LC) undergoing radiotherapy and surgery. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 LC patients undergoing radiotherapy and surgery were randomly assigned to either the Routine Nursing Care (RNC) group (n = 50) or the Comprehensive Nursing Care (CNC) group (n = 50). Various parameters, including respiratory function, visual analog scale (VAS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), exercise of self-care agency scale (ESCA), European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), and complication rate, were assessed. Results: Compared to the RNC group, the CNC group exhibited a significant decrease in respiratory frequency and an increase in oxygen saturation, maximal breathing capacity, minute ventilation volume, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (P < 0.05). Additionally, CNC group scores for VAS, SAS, SDS, and PSQI were lower, while ESCA and EORTC scores were higher compared to the RNC group (P<0.05). Complication rates post-intervention was significantly lower in the CNC group (4.0%) compared to the RNC group (28.0%) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, comprehensive nursing intervention effectively improves post-radiotherapy operative respiratory function, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality. Furthermore, it enhances self-care ability and QoL in patients with LC undergoing radiotherapy and surgery while reducing the incidence of complications. These findings support the clinical application of comprehensive nursing care in this patient population.