To explore the effects of double-link collaborative nursing mode on postoperative pain, gastrointestinal function and quality of life in elderly patients with inguinal hernia.

A retrospective study was conducted on 90 elderly patients with inguinal hernia who were treated at Suzhou First People's Hospital from September 2020 to June 2022. According to different nursing plans, they were divided into a control group (receiving conventional care) and an experimental group (receiving dual-link collaborative care on the basis of conventional care), with 45 cases each. The scores of visual analogue scale (VAS) at 24 h and 48 h after surgery, postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function, scores of 36-item short-form (SF-36) at 2 weeks and 1 month after surgery, nursing satisfaction and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.

The VAS scores at 24 and 48 hours post-operation in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The first time of postoperative flatus and bowel movement in the experimental group was earlier than that in the control group (P<0.05). The SF-36 scores at 2 weeks and 1 month post-operation in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total satisfaction rate of the experimental group was 95.56%, which was higher than the 82.22% of the control group (P<0.05). The total incidence of postoperative complications such as incision infection, pressure sores, scrotal edema, and intestinal obstruction in the experimental group and control group were 8.89% and 15.56% respectively, with no significant difference (P>0.05).

The application of double-link collaborative nursing mode is beneficial to relieve postoperative pain, promote postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function and improve quality of life in elderly patients with inguinal hernia.