Nursing interventions and psychological efficacy in skin injury management: An integrative meta-analysis
Abstract
Cancer treatment–related skin injuries, such as radiation dermatitis and chemotherapy-induced ulcers, not only impair physical comfort but also cause substantial psychological distress. This integrative meta-analysis quantitatively examined the psychological efficacy of nursing interventions among oncology patients with treatment-induced skin injuries. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, eleven studies comprising 1760 participants were pooled using a random-effects model to estimate standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals across three domains: Anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL). The overall analysis demonstrated significant benefits of nursing and psychosocial programs, yielding moderate-to-large reductions in anxiety (SMD = −0.63 [−0.89 to −0.37], p < 0.001) and depression (SMD = −0.53 [−0.71 to −0.34], p < 0.001), together with a moderate improvement in QoL (SMD = +0.41 [0.18 to 0.63], p < 0.001). Heterogeneity ranged from low to moderate (I² = 0–62%), and no publication bias was detected. Subgroup analyses indicated a graded trend of effectiveness educational < psychological < multidisciplinary nurse-led models highlighting that interventions integrating cognitive-behavioral or mindfulness components within coordinated care frameworks achieve the highest efficacy. These findings confirm that holistic, nurse-delivered interventions addressing both wound care and emotional well-being substantially enhance recovery and quality of life. This review provides the first quantitative synthesis linking dermatologic management with psycho-oncological outcomes, underscoring nursing’s pivotal role in bridging biological healing and psychological resilience in cancer care.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ying Zhang, Jun Zhang, Bei Ye, Jie Li, Fang He, Zhe Chen
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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