BACKGROUND Depression is a common psychological disorder often associated with genetic, neurobiological, and psychosocial factors. This condition is characterized by low mood and decreased conscious activity and can lead to severe consequences such as suicidal thoughts. Respiratory failure, a disorder of pulmonary ventilation and gas exchange, is frequently complicated by depression, aggravating the condition and creating complications in treatment. Patients with both conditions tend to exhibit poor compliance with medical advice, resulting in adverse outcomes such as sleep disorders, arrhythmias, and electrolyte imbalances. Therefore, effective nursing interventions are crucial for improving patient outcomes. While routine nursing care can provide basic support, dedicated nursing, which involves specialized and personalized care by highly trained professionals, may offer additional benefits. AIM To examine the effect of dedicated nursing intervention on medical advice compliance and adverse event incidence in patients with depression complicated by respiratory failure. METHODS A total of 160 patients with depression complicated by respiratory failure admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January to December 2024 were randomly categorized into a control group (n = 80) receiving routine nursing care and observation group (n = 80) receiving routine nursing combined with dedicated nursing care. The establishment of a specialized nursing team; the development of a personalized nursing plan; and the implementation of comprehensive care strategies targeting emotional support, sleep improvement, pulmonary function enhancement, and adherence to medical advice were included in the dedicated nursing intervention. Emotional state evaluated using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), sleep quality assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), hope level measured using the Herth Hope Scale (HHS), pulmonary function comprising forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), exercise endurance 6-minute walk distance test (6MWD), compliance with medical advice, and incidence of adverse events were compared between the two groups. RESULTS No significant differences were observed in SDS, PSQI, HHS, FVC, FEV1, 6MWD, or compliance with medical advice between the two groups (P > 0.05) before the intervention. However, after the intervention, the control group exhibited significantly lower SDS and PSQI scores; higher HHS scores; greater improvements in FVC, FEV1, and 6MWD; and higher compliance with medical advice compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the incidence of adverse events was significantly lower in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION Dedicated nursing intervention significantly improves emotional state, sleep quality, hope level, pulmonary function, exercise endurance, and compliance with medical advice while reducing adverse events in patients with depression complicated by respiratory failure. Therefore, dedicated nursing appears to be an effective approach to enhance patient outcomes in this population.
Zhang et al. (Fri,) studied this question.