Transitional Nursing Care for Oesophageal Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review

AIMS: To understand the extent and characteristics of transitional nursing care for patients with oesophageal cancer across treatment modalities, examine patient experiences and the role of nurses, and identify research gaps. DESIGN: A scoping review. METHODS: The scoping review followed the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and the JBI methodology. DATA SOURCES (INCLUDE SEARCH DATES): PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched on 11 June 2025 for relevant articles with no date restrictions. RESULTS: This scoping review included 33 studies (26 quantitative, 7 qualitative) conducted primarily in Asia (n = 25, 75.8%). Evidence predominantly reflected postoperative care involving multicomponent and nutrition-focused interventions, whereas evidence for nonsurgical treatments and social support interventions remained limited. Qualitative evidence revealed patients' need for multidimensional support across individual, relational, and system levels. Nurses' primary roles included guidance and counselling, whereas evaluation and feedback roles were least reported. Evidence gaps existed in care coordination, particularly for hospital-to-community transitions, with most studies extending only to outpatient follow-up rather than home and community settings. CONCLUSION: Patients with oesophageal cancer require multifaceted, continuous transitional nursing care across the care continuum, yet current interventions inadequately address relational, social, and system-level needs. Evidence gaps exist between patients' experienced needs and available interventions, particularly in hospital-to-community care coordination and nonsurgical treatment pathways. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Clinical nurses should assess the social support systems of patients with oesophageal cancer and their ability to utilize community resources during discharge education. Nursing management should incorporate evaluation and feedback as a core responsibility in transitional care and formalize communication between hospital and community services. Future studies are recommended to target nonsurgical populations and to address unmet coordination needs. REPORTING METHOD: PRISMA-ScR. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution. TRIAL AND PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: Open Science Framework (http://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/86BGR). IMPACT: Identifies key gaps in transitional nursing care for oesophageal cancer patients across care settings and treatment modalities. Informs the design of more comprehensive, patient-centered transitional care approaches. Supports improvements in hospital-to-community care continuity and coordination. Guides future research and policy initiatives to better address complex patient needs.