To evaluate the clinical effect of comprehensive nursing intervention to promote postoperative functional rehabilitation of affected limbs in patients with breast cancer.

A total of 336 patients with breast cancer in the Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from September 2017 to September 2018 were involved in this retrospective study, including 168 patients from Unit A (intervention group) and 168 patients from Unit B (control group). The comparison of age, marital status, physical working and housing status was performed by χ² test. The comparison of education, BMI, clinical stage of tumor, axillary lymph node dissection and patient satisfaction with nursing were performed by the Mann-Whitney U test. The evaluation results on motion range of the shoulder joints before surgery were compared by t test and the results at 2 months after operation were compared by analysis of covariance.

At 2 months after operation, there were significant differences in the degree of horizontal flexion, horizontal extension, abduction, anterior flexion, posterior extension, internal rotation, external rotation and wall climbing height between intervention group and control group (F=894.621, 655.310, 8 025.193, 10 779.431, 1 957.617, 3 525.204, 2 412.949, 7.629, all P<0.001). The satisfaction rate in the nursing satisfaction survey was 99.4%(167/168) in intervention group, significantly higher than 88.7%(149/168) in control group (Z=-3.808, P<0.001).

Appropriate and targeted comprehensive nursing interventions should be given to breast cancer patients after operation, which can significantly improve the motion range of the affected shoulder joints and increase patient satisfaction with nursing, worthy of clinical application.