Effect of Intensive Nursing Management on Quality of Life and Mental Health in Elderly Gastric Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Aims/Background Implementing effective nursing management is particularly critical in the case of elderly gastric cancer (GC) patients receiving chemotherapy, who are more vulnerable to risk events. Therefore, this study explored the effect of intensive nursing management on quality of life (QoL) and mental health in elderly GC patients receiving chemotherapy. Methods A total of 155 elderly patients with GC undergoing chemotherapy in Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from July 2021 to July 2023 were selected as the study subjects. The sample was divided into two groups according to different nursing methods: 74 patients who received intensive nursing management were classified in the observation group, while 81 patients treated with routine nursing management were classified under the reference group. The QoL, mental health and adverse reactions to chemotherapy were compared between the two groups. Results Before nursing management was implemented, there was no significant difference in the scores of the quality of life questionnaire-core 30 (QLQ-C30), patient health questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9), and the Chinese version of the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI-C) (p > 0.05). After management, in comparison with the reference group, the observation group showed significantly higher scores in each dimension of QLQ-C30, as well as significantly lower scores in PHQ-9 and MDASI-C (p < 0.001). The incidences of gastrointestinal reaction, myelosuppression, neurotoxicity, and hepatorenal damage were lower in the observation group than in the reference group (45.95% vs 70.37%, 40.54% vs 65.43%, 35.14% vs 53.09%, and 33.78% vs 51.25%, respectively; p < 0.05). Conclusion The application of intensive nursing management in treating elderly GC patients during chemotherapy effectively improves their physical and mental states, ameliorates clinical symptoms and enhances the QoL, showing certain clinical application value.