Effect of incentive nursing care on perioperative depression and anxiety in thyroid cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the effect of incentive nursing care (ICN) as a supplementary therapy to routine nursing care (RNC) on depression and anxiety (DA) in patients undergoing thyroid cancer (TC) surgery during the perioperative period (PPP).

METHODS

A thorough search was conducted across various electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, WANGFANG, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure, spanning from their inception to October 1, 2023. The inclusion criteria were limited to randomized controlled trials focusing on the effects of ICN and RNC on DA in TC surgery during PPP. The primary outcomes assessed were depression, using the Self-Rating Depression Scale, and anxiety, measured by the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. Additionally, the influence of ICN and RNC on the overall quality of life of the patients was evaluated using the Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30. Statistical analysis was carried out using RevMan 5.4 software.

RESULTS

This meta-analysis incorporated a total of 12 eligible trials encompassing 999 patients. The findings indicated that the combination of ICN and RNC yielded superior outcomes compared to RNC alone across various measures. Specifically, ICN plus RNC demonstrated significant improvements over RNC alone in terms of the Self-Rating Depression Scale (P < .001), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (P < .001), and Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (physical function, role function, cognitive function, emotional function, social function, and overall quality of life) (P < .001).

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study demonstrate the considerable benefits of implementing ICN and RNC in the management of DA among patients with TC during PPP. However, it is crucial to interpret these results cautiously in light of the aforementioned limitations.