Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Yu QY, Sheng MJ, Wang XW, Ji CB, Mo ML. Hope mediates the relationship between perceived humanistic nursing care and quality of life in postoperative gastrointestinal cancer patients. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(12): 123235 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.123235]
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Dec 15, 2026; 18(12): 123235 Published online Dec 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.123235
Hope mediates the relationship between perceived humanistic nursing care and quality of life in postoperative gastrointestinal cancer patients
Qun-Ya Yu, Mei-Jiao Sheng, Xiao-Wei Wang, Cheng-Bin Ji, Min-Ling Mo
Qun-Ya Yu, Mei-Jiao Sheng, Xiao-Wei Wang, Cheng-Bin Ji, Min-Ling Mo, Department of Nursing, Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 201306, China
Author contributions: Yu QY and Mo ML contributed to conceptualization and methodology; Yu QY contributed to data curation, writing - original draft, and project administration; Yu QY and Ji CB contributed to formal analysis; Yu QY and Sheng MJ contributed to investigation; Mo ML and Ji CB contributed to validation; Mo ML contributed to writing - review and editing and supervision; Sheng MJ contributed to resources; Wang XW and Ji CB contributed to software and visualization. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: No AI tools or services were used during the preparation of this study.
Supported by the Hospital-Level Research Project of Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital, No. YJHLKT2024-50; and the Science and Technology Fund Project of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. Jyhz2114.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine [approval No. 2025-KY-253 (K)]. All research procedures complied with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.
Informed consent statement: All study participants, or their legal guardian, provided informed written consent prior to study enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Min-Ling Mo, MD, Department of Nursing, Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 222 Huanhu West Third Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 201306, China. minlingm218@163.com
Received: July 3, 2026 Revised: August 2, 2026 Accepted: September 22, 2026 Published online: December 15, 2026 Processing time: 129 Days and 1.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Patients with cancer who undergo gastrointestinal (GI) surgery often experience physical discomfort, psychological distress, and decreased quality of life (QoL). Humanistic nursing promotes recovery and well-being. However, the mechanism by which perceived humanized care affects QoL through hope remains unclear in this population.
AIM
To examine whether hope mediates the association between perceived humanistic nursing care and QoL in postoperative GI tumor patients.
METHODS
Using convenience sampling, 192 patients with postoperative GI tumors were recruited from the Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2025 to August 2025. Data were collected using questionnaire, the Caring Behaviors Inventory-16, the Herth Hope Index, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. Spearman’s correlation analyses were performed to assess the associations between perceived humanistic nursing care, hope levels, and QoL. The PROCESS macro tested the mediating effect of hope.
RESULTS
Perceived caring behaviors were positively correlated with hope (r = 0.634, P < 0.05) and quality of QoL (r = 0.711, P < 0.05). Hope was also positively correlated with QoL (r = 0.701, P < 0.05). Hope partially mediated the association between perceived humanistic nursing care and QoL (mediation effect: 37.41%).
CONCLUSION
Humanistic nursing care may improve QoL by enhancing hope. Hope-oriented nursing interventions should be incorporated into routine postoperative care.
Core Tip: This study explored the relationship between patients’ perception of humanistic care, hope levels, and quality of life (QoL) after gastrointestinal tumor surgery. A total of 192 patients were included. Perceived humanistic care was positively correlated with hope and QoL, while hope was also positively correlated with QoL. Mediation analysis showed that hope partially mediated the relationship between humanistic care and QoL. Hope may represent an important psychological pathway through which humanistic nursing care improves QoL in patients undergoing gastrointestinal tumor surgery. Hope-oriented nursing interventions should be emphasized in clinical practice.
