# Association of patient health education with the postoperative health related quality of life in low- intermediate recurrence risk differentiated thyroid cancer patients

## TL;DR

This study shows that patient health education improves quality of life for thyroid cancer patients after surgery.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that the frequency and type of health education correlate with better health-related quality of life outcomes in thyroid cancer patients.

## Key findings

- Patients who received health education reported higher quality of life scores in specific domains.
- Higher frequency of health education was linked to better quality of life outcomes, regardless of the education format.
- Role function, emotional function, and chilly sensation were identified as important factors related to quality of life.

## Abstract

Postoperative Differentiated Thyroid Cancer (DTC) patients with low-intermediate recurrence risk often experience anxiety and uncertainty, which adversely affect their health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Patient health education (PHE) plays a crucial role in improving HRQOL by providing information on treatment duration, management strategies and emerging therapies. This study evaluated the association between PHE and HRQOL. This cross-sectional study recruited DTC patients with low-intermediate risk of recurrence at the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, China, between October 2018 and March 2019. Eligible patients completed questionnaires assessing HRQOL and a PHE survey at 1 year postoperatively. Patients were categorized based on PHE exposure. The study cohort was derived from our previously published dataset in JAMA Surgery. Univariate and multiple regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of PHE and HRQOL. 574 eligible patients were categorized into four groups based on the type of PHE they had received: article, comic, video, and control group. Patients who received any form of PHE reported higher HRQOL scores in selected domains. Furthermore, increased frequency of PHE was associated with further improvements in HRQOL, independent of the education modality. Regression analysis identified role function, emotional function, and chilly sensation may serve as important correlates of HRQOL. Both PHE frequencies and modalities employed were positively associated with HRQOL in postoperative DTC patients under certain situations, although the observed differences were generally small in magnitude. Comprehensive and frequent PHE is associated with better postoperative recovery and HRQOL in low-intermediate recurrence risk DTC patients.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-34629-5.