To evaluate the postoperative clinical effects of an intervention guided by Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory in patients with inguinal hernia.

The clinical data of 147 patients with inguinal hernia who received treatment at Bozhou People's Hospital from March 2024 to October 2025 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 81 patients who received conventional intervention from March to December 2024 were assigned to the control group, while 66 patients who received an intervention guided by Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory from January to October 2025 were assigned to the observation group. Surgery-related indicators, early postoperative mobility, pain status, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) scores, satisfaction, and complications were compared between the two groups.

The observation group showed significantly better postoperative recovery indicators than the control group. The time to first ambulation, time to first oral intake, and mean length of hospital stay in the observation group were (13.98±2.42) h, (14.78±1.71) h, and (4.11±0.98) d, respectively, all of which were shorter than those in the control group [(15.09±2.86) h, (15.54±1.97) h, and (4.48±1.01) d]. Regarding early mobility at 24 h after surgery, the time required to get out of bed and stand, the time required to flex the knee and hip to 90°, and the time required to walk 20 m in the observation group were (8.05±1.84) s, (1.40±0.29) s, and (25.11±2.31) s, respectively, which were also lower than those in the control group [(8.73±1.62) s, (1.58±0.41) s, and (26.08±2.26) s], with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In terms of pain assessment, repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant time effects and between-group effects for visual analogue scale (VAS) scores in the two groups (P<0.05). The VAS scores in the observation group at 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h after surgery were (4.84±0.70), (4.04±0.76), and (2.95±0.64) points, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(5.12±0.89), (4.39±0.83), and (3.32±0.79) points], with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). After intervention, the scores for all dimensions of psychological resilience in the observation group [tenacity: (36.86±4.97) points; strength: (25.42±2.77) points; optimism: (12.79±2.28) points] were higher than those in the control group [(35.02±5.08), (24.18±3.02), and (11.83±1.95) points], with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the nursing satisfaction rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (92.42% vs 80.25%), with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). The overall incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (3.03% vs 12.35%), with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05).

An intervention strategy based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory can effectively promote early postoperative recovery in patients with inguinal hernia, enhance mobility, relieve pain, improve psychological resilience, and reduce the incidence of complications.