Effectiveness of refined nursing intervention on postoperative recovery and respiratory function in lung cancer patients after thoracic surgery

To evaluate the effectiveness of refined nursing intervention versus routine nursing care in improving respiratory function and facilitating their recovery in lung cancer patients after thoracic surgery. Total 75 primary lung cancer patients (average age: 55.3 ± 10.8 years) who underwent thoracic surgery at Tangshan People’s Hospital from February 2024 to July 2024 were included in the study. According to the different postoperative nursing intervention, patients were randomized into control group (CG) and observational group (OG) for evaluating the effects of refined nursing intervention on pain relief, postoperative recovery and respiratory function. Tidal volume, vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, peak expiratory flow, and maximal voluntary ventilation were used to evaluate pulmonary function. The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey and Nursing Intensive-Care Satisfaction Scale were administered at the minimum of 30 days of nursing interventions after thoracic surgery to assess quality of life and satisfaction with nursing care respectively. Bivariate correlation analysis and chi-square test ( χ 2 ) were used to analyze significant changes by using SPSS (version 27.0). About 61% (n = 46) of the patients were female. Routine nursing care was conducted in both CG and OG patients, while in OG simultaneously received refined nursing care. After a period of nursing intervention, recovery rate of heart and pulmonary was significantly higher than CG (92.31% vs 72.22%, P = .022) with a lower incidence of postoperative complications (12.82% vs 30.56%, P = .049). Pulmonary function test results revealed a significant improvement in OG patients’ tidal volume (0.43 ± 0.06 vs 0.39 ± 0.07, P = .014), vital capacity (3.53 ± 0.30 vs 3.34 ± 0.32, P = .020), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (4.67 ± 0.67 vs 4.23 ± 0.58, P = .003), peak expiratory flow (4.76 ± 0.51 vs 4.36 ± 0.51, P = .001) and maximal voluntary ventilation (58.22 ± 7.86 vs 53.70 ± 6.89, P = .010) compared to CG. Postoperative moderate-to-worst pain duration in OG was significantly shortened (4.36 ± 1.56 vs 5.81 ± 1.94, P < .001), while health status value was higher (60.87 ± 5.89 vs 56.53 ± 6.22, P = .003). Moreover, OG expressed higher satisfaction with nursing care compared to CG ( P = .002). Patients experienced reduced respiratory function after thoracic surgery. Refined nursing intervention might facilitate patients’ postoperative recovery and improve their respiratory function and general well-being, which would be beneficial for achieving patients’ satisfaction and promoting positive interaction between patients and multidisciplinary team members.