OBJECTIVE To explore the effectiveness of a targeted nursing model for patients undergoing thyroid surgery, and to analyse the influence of intervention on the negative emotions of patients. METHODS Eighty patients who received thyroid surgery in our hospital were enrolled and divided into a study group (n=40, given targeted nursing) and a control group (n=40, given routine surgical nursing) according to the difference of intervention measures. The postoperative bed-leaving time, hospitalization time, medical expenses, drainage tube indwelling time and incidence of postoperative adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. The degree of pain, anxiety and depression was compared between the two groups at 1 d, 3 d, 5 d, and 7 d after surgery. The scales of voice handicap index (VHI-10) and standard swallowing assessment (SSA) were used to evaluate voice quality and swallowing function in the two groups. RESULTS The postoperative bed-leaving time, hospitalization time, medical expenses, drainage tube indwelling time and incidence of postoperative adverse reactions of patients in the study group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The scores of visual analogue scale (VAS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) in the study group at 3 d, 5 d and 7 d after surgery were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The scores of VHI-10 and SSA in the study group were lower than those in the control group at 7 d and 30 d after surgery (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Targeted nursing for patients undergoing thyroid surgery can help accelerate the improvement of postoperative clinical symptoms, relieve the unhealthy emotions and pain of patients, and help improve their voice quality and swallowing function, which also has a positive effect on reducing postoperative complications. Therefore, it is worthy of clinical popularization and application.