Effect of nutritional care combined with psychological intervention on nutritional status, psychological state and quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis and cancer

Objective: To investigate the effects of nutritional nursing combined with psychological support on nutritional status, mental health and quality of life in patients with ulcerative colitis and cancer. Methods: A series of 80 cases of ulcerative colitis complicated by radiation were then standardized into laboratory and test arms, with 40 patients in each group. The parallel set was provided with standard dietary management and health education, while the experimental group, in addition to pharmacological treatment and comprehensive risk assessment, also received specialized psychological support. Nutritional status was evaluated by indicators such as hemoglobin, total protein, serum albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin. Mental health was assessed using the self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale, and quality of life was evaluated with the SF-36 scale. Moreover, the systemic inflammation levels and adverse reactions of both groups were observed. Results: Post-treatment, the experimental group displayed increased levels of serum albumin, prealbumin, and transferrin in comparison to the parallel set. Furthermore, the self-assessment scores for the laboratory group for anatomy and hypertension decreased significantly from baseline and were lower than the scores of the parallel set. In terms of life quality, changes were observed in various dimensions for both groups post-intervention, with some differences noted between the experimental and control groups. The trial arm had lower levels of serum inflammatory markers and a lower occurrence of dysfunction over the parallel ones. Conclusion: Integrating nutritional care with psychological intervention can efficiently enhance the nutritional condition of patients suffering from ulcerative colitis and cancer. It helps relieve negative psychological states, decrease the levels of serum inflammatory factors, lower the incidence of adverse reactions, and, to some degree, improve patients’ quality of life.