Exploring Home Nutrition Management Experiences in Postoperative Esophageal Cancer Patients and Their Caregivers: A Study Utilizing Patient Journey Mapping.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the multidimensional needs of patients and their caregivers during home-based nutritional management after esophageal cancer surgery, and to provide evidence for developing targeted nursing interventions using patient journey mapping.

METHODS

We used a descriptive qualitative design. From December 2025 to January 2026, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 patients who had undergone esophageal cancer surgery and 9 caregivers at a tertiary general hospital in Chongqing, China. We analyzed the data using traditional content analysis and constructed a patient journey map.

RESULTS

The patient journey map, structured across four stages and three analytical dimensions, identified 31 sub-themes across these stages. From participants' retrospective accounts, three core barriers were identified in this study: cognitive-behavioral barriers, cultural-cognitive dissonance, and fragmented post-discharge support systems. Moreover, these difficulties were interrelated and associated with eroded confidence in nutritional management, persistent worry about recurrence, and a sense of helplessness. This predicament persisted throughout the rehabilitation period, suggesting a structural gap within the current healthcare system: a mismatch between patients' ongoing need for nutritional guidance and the limited professional support available.

CONCLUSION

Given the prolonged and complex nature of home-based nutritional management after esophagectomy, and to address patients' need for sustained professional guidance, this study outlines a theoretical intervention framework that integrates three strategies-phase-specific education, culturally tailored dietary support, and a continuous care loop linking hospital and home-drawing on the advantages of digital health technologies. The feasibility and implementation pathways of this framework warrant further exploration.