Integrating narrative nursing and diversified health education in postherpetic neuralgia care: A retrospective study.

This study investigates the impact of narrative nursing combined with diversified health education on negative emotions and self-management abilities in patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 182 PHN patients treated at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from July 2023 to June 2024. Patients were divided into an observation group and a control group, with 91 cases in each. The control group received standard care, while the observation group received narrative nursing combined with diversified health education in addition to standard care. The average pain levels of patients before and after the intervention were assessed using the numerical rating scale. Negative emotions were evaluated using the self-rating anxiety scale and the self-rating depression scale, while self-efficacy levels were measured using the chronic pain self-efficacy scale. Patient satisfaction with nursing care was surveyed at discharge using the inpatient nursing satisfaction scale. Post-intervention, the observation group showed significantly lower scores on the numerical rating scale, self-rating anxiety scale, and self-rating depression scale compared to the control group. Additionally, the observation group demonstrated markedly higher scores on the chronic pain self-efficacy and the nursing satisfaction scales than the control group. Narrative nursing combined with diversified health education effectively reduces pain levels and negative emotions in PHN patients, enhances their self-efficacy in managing chronic pain, and increases satisfaction with nursing care. This approach merits clinical promotion and application.