Status and Influencing Factors of Discharge Readiness in Day Surgery Lung Cancer Patients Under a Fast‐Track Rehabilitation Pathway

ABSTRACT

Aim

To investigate the status of discharge readiness of patients undergoing daytime lung cancer surgery and analyse its influencing factors.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study.

Methods

In this study, patients who underwent daytime lung cancer surgery from August 2022 to February 2023 at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Shanghai were selected via the convenience sampling method. A general data questionnaire, the Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire and the 10-item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale were used to assess 203 patients. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyse the factors influencing discharge readiness.

Results

The total Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale score for patients who underwent daytime lung cancer surgery was 72.76 ± 20.91. Multiple regression analysis revealed that residence, monthly family income, the presence of postoperative adverse effects, illness perception and resilience were influencing factors for discharge readiness (p < 0.05), with illness perception (β = −0.391, p < 0.001) and resilience (β = 0.317, p < 0.001) being the most significant factors, which together explained 44.9% of the total variance.

Conclusion

The discharge readiness of day surgery patients with lung cancer is moderate, indicating room for improvement. Clinical practice should focus on lower-income, rural or postoperative patients with adverse reactions. Additionally, promoting patients’ positive perceptions of their illness and increasing their resilience can further enhance their discharge readiness.

Reporting Methods

The reporting of the study was guided by the STROBE checklist: cross-sectional studies (Table S1).

Relevance to Clinical Practice

Healthcare professionals should focus on assessing patients’ readiness for discharge, consistent with the World Health Organization's emphasis on patient-centred discharge planning. We recommend (1) establishing post-discharge support systems for rural and low-income patients, (2) including resilience-building interventions in preoperative education and (3) adopting a multiform health promotion approach to change negative illness perceptions and coping strategies. Additionally, we strongly advocate for the development of nurse-led transitional care plans that address both medical and psychosocial needs to optimise patient recovery and long-term well-being.