A qualitative study on the thirst experience and coping approaches of postoperative patients with esophageal cancer during the fasting period

WANG Jinyue; TIAN Fengmei; ZHANG Meng; XU Lili

doi:10.12104/j.issn.1674-4748.2025.05.026

Abstract：Objective:To understand the thirst experience of patients with esophageal cancer during the postoperative fasting period and the coping strategies adopted by both healthcare professionals and patients,aiming to inform the optimization of clinical management strategies.Methods:An interview outline was drawn up based on symptom management theory,and 12 patients with esophageal cancer and 11 nurses in the thoracic surgery department of a tertiary Grade A hospital in Suzhou from September to December 2023 were selected for semi-structured in-depth interviews.Colaizzi phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data and extract the themes.Results:The thirst experience of postoperative patients with esophageal cancer during fasting can be summarized into three themes,including symptom perception(diversity of thirst manifestations,particularity of thirst duration),symptom assessment(severity of thirst symptom),symptomatic response(diversity of thirst response).The coping measures of nurses and patients had two themes,including physical environmental interventions(non-oral hydration,reduction of fluid loss),psychological coping(positive stimulation,diversion of attention;avoid talking,compromise accept).Conclusions:Thirsty makes patients with esophageal cancer feel uncomfortable and helpless after surgery.Most patients are unwilling to take the initiative to inform,nurses demonstrate insufficient proactive communication,and both nurses and patients have insufficient coping methods.Clinical nurses should pay attention to the evaluation of thirst symptoms of patients with esophageal cancer,provide effective intervention strategies and timely evaluation.