Nursing Care of a Patient Underwent Surgery for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma According to Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns Model: A Case Report

Objective: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is a serious malignancy that often requires multidisciplinary treatment, especially in advanced stages. While early-stage disease may respond well to surgery and radiotherapy, advanced cases typically involve combined approaches, including chemotherapy and targeted therapies. Wide excisions and neck dissection are common, particularly for tumors in the retromolar trigone, due to lymphatic spread risk. Postoperative patients frequently face physical, functional, and psychosocial challenges such as impaired mandibular function, speech and feeding difficulties, and body image issues. Addressing these requires a holistic nursing approach. This case report discusses the nursing care of a patient who underwent right retromolar trigone excision, cervical neck dissection, and free flap reconstruction, using Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns Model.

Case Report: H.K. is a 52-year-old female patient. Over the course of a year, she presented multiple times to the dental clinic with infections around the dental tissues. As her complaints did not resolve with antibiotic therapy, a biopsy was taken from the affected area, leading to a diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was hospitalized for tumor excision, and subsequently underwent right retromolar trigone mass excision, right 1A-2A-2B-3-4 neck dissection, and reconstruction with a free flap taken from the lower extremity. During her hospitalization, comprehensive nursing care was provided in accordance with the following nursing diagnoses: impaired swallowing, impaired physical mobility, imbalanced nutrition: less than body requirements, impaired verbal communication, disturbed sleep pattern, risk of ineffective tissue perfusion, risk of aspiration related to dysphagia, risk of impaired skin and tissue integrity, and risk of infection. Education and counseling were also provided to the patient and her family.

Conclusion(s): With the implementation of individualized and holistic nursing care targeting the patient’s specific problems, the patient’s comfort and functional capacity were improved, thereby supporting the healing process. In this context, delivering personalized care through a nursing model and providing comprehensive education and counseling are of vital importance.

Keywords: Oropharyngeal Cancer, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Neck Dissection, Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns Model, Nursing Care