Enhancing Quality of Life, Mental Health, and Treatment Adherence in Patients Who Had Undergone Radical Prostatectomy through an Internet-Supported Home-Based Rehabilitation Program.

OBJECTIVE

Prostate cancer is a common global health concern, and enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life is essential. This study aimed to investigate the impact of an internet-supported home-based rehabilitation program on quality of life, psychological well-being, and treatment adherence in patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy.

METHODS

A total of 103 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy in our hospital from April 2020 to December 2023 were categorized into control and research groups based on whether they received an internet-supported family rehabilitation plan. The control group, consisting of 53 patients, received standard discharge instructions, while the research group, comprising 50 patients, received additional home rehabilitation care as part of their routine discharge instructions. The Generic Quality of Life Inventory-74 (GQOLI-74) is a comprehensive questionnaire used to assess and compare the two groups' quality of life before and after nursing care. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) assessed and compared mental health status pre- and post-nursing intervention. Treatment compliance, nursing satisfaction, and complications were monitored and compared between the groups.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in age, Body Mass Index (BMI), disease duration, tumour stage, and other clinical variables between the two groups (p > 0.05). Before nursing care, GQOLI-74 scores did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). However, following nursing care, the research group exhibited substantially higher scores (p < 0.05) across all items than the control group. Similarly, there was no considerable difference in SDS and SAS scores between the two groups (p > 0.05) before nursing care. Post-intervention, SDS scores in the research group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05), and treatment compliance scores were substantially higher in the research group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the incidence of complications was significantly lower in the research group compared to the control group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The internet-derived family rehabilitation program significantly improved patients' quality of life, psychological well-being, and treatment compliance, indicating its potential for clinical implementation.