Effectiveness of a Nursing Teaching Intervention on Symptom Management and Quality of Life among Postmastectomy Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Introduction: Breast cancer tops is the most common cancer in India, accounting for 26.6% of all cancer cases.Following mastectomy, although patients may recover from the surgery itself, they often experience complications such as phantom pain syndromes, fatigue, and lymphedema, which greatly affect their quality of life (QOL).Exercise interventions have shown significant positive outcomes in lessening symptoms, improving QOL, and augmenting activities of daily living.Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a nursing teaching intervention on symptom management and QOL among postmastectomy patients.Methodology: A randomized controlled trial was conducted among 96 purposively sampled postmastectomy patients and enrolled randomly in experimental and control groups using sequentially numbered opaque sealed envelopes (SNOSE).The nursing teaching intervention was administered on day 1, day 11/12, and at week 6 following breast cancer surgery.Its effect was assessed on symptom management and QOL at week 7 and week 13 after surgery.A self-structured symptom management scale was used to assess symptoms, and the FACT-B (version 4) was used to assess QOL.Results: Participants reported reduced symptoms (p < 0.001), improved QOL (p < 0.001), and improved physical, social, emotional, functional, and additional QOL (p < 0.05) at week 7 and week 13 after the nursing teaching intervention. Conclusion:The nursing teaching intervention played an important role in postoperative recovery.Initiating rehabilitation promptly after mastectomy is essential to minimize the risk of chronic complications and to optimize long-term well-being.