The impact of nursing model supported by digital health technology (wearable device-assisted monitoring and online rehabilitation guidance) on the negative emotions, self-efficacy and quality of life of breast cancer patients: A retrospective study

Objective: To explore the impact of nursing model supported by Digital health technology (DHT) on the quality of life, negative emotions, and self-efficacy of breast cancer patients, with a view to providing a basis for the scientific management and intervention of breast cancer patients. Methods: This study retrospectively included 138 breast cancer patients who were treated at The Affiliated Huai’an No.1 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2022 to December 2024. According to their nursing models, patients were divided into intervention group (70 patients received the nursing model supported by DHT) and control group (68 patients received the conventional nursing model). The differences in the scores of the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B) scale, and Self-Efficacy Scale for Patients with Breast Cancer (SUPPH) between the two groups were compared before discharge and three months after discharge. Results: The patients intervened by the nursing model based on DHT had lower scores of SAS (t = 3.308, P = 0.001) and SDS (t = 2.482, P = 0.014), while the scores of FACT-B (t = 7.274, P = 0.014) and SUPPH (t = 1.975, P = 0.050) were higher. Conclusion: This study conducted in-hospital and out-of-hospital nursing interventions for breast cancer patients through the nursing model supported by DHT, and explored the impact of the new nursing model on the quality of life, depression level, and self-efficacy of them. The results show that the nursing model based on DHT has a positive impact on the quality of life, negative emotions, and self-efficacy of patients.