Effect of Multidimensional Discharge Preparation Based on Meleis’ Transition Theory in Patients After Laryngeal Cancer Surgery: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a multidimensional discharge preparation intervention based on Meleis' transition theory on discharge readiness. METHODS: This study adopted a prospective randomized controlled design. Seventy patients undergoing surgery for laryngeal cancer (January-December 2024) were randomly assigned to the control group (routine nursing, n = 35) or the intervention group (routine nursing plus Meleis-guided multidimensional programme, n = 35). The intervention spanned from admission to 6 months postdischarge, delivering knowledge empowerment, behavioral training, psychological support, and family collaboration across 5 phases. The primary outcome measures were discharge readiness (assessed using the Chinese version of the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale) and quality of discharge teaching (assessed using the Chinese version of the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale) on the day of discharge. The secondary outcome measures included quality of life 1 month after surgery (assessed using the University of Washington Quality of Life Scale v4.0-Head and Neck Module). RESULTS: On the day of discharge, the total Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale score (P < .001) and total Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale score (P = .008) of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. One month after surgery, the total University of Washington Quality of Life score of the experimental group (P < .001) was significantly better than that of the control group, and the incidence of complications related to tracheotomy was lower in the former group than in the latter (2.9% vs 17.1%, P = .046). CONCLUSIONS: The multidimensional discharge preparation intervention based on Meleis' transition theory demonstrated potential to improve discharge readiness and the quality of health education for patients with laryngeal cancer and may contribute to enhanced postoperative quality of life.