Introduction:

Identifying the self-care needs of people who have undergone surgery for head and neck cancer is necessary to design interventions that improve their autonomy.

Objective:

To identify self-care needs in people who have undergone surgery for head and neck cancer, taking into account the physical, emotional and social dimensions related to postoperative recovery.

Methods:

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology and the Polyclinics Moncada and Vedado of the Plaza de la Revolución municipality, Havana, Cuba, during 2022. The population consisted of 12 people who had undergone surgery for head and neck cancer, recovering at home. The data were obtained with a questionnaire designed to assess self-care capabilities and validated through a pilot study. For data analysis, absolute and relative frequency distributions (percentage) were performed.

Results:

There was little knowledge about self-care, with aspects of self-care related to gastrostomy feeding, communication with family and friends, hygiene, tracheostomy care and dependence on caregivers predominating.

Conclusions:

There is a clear need for educational interventions to improve self-care skills in people who have undergone head and neck cancer surgery. This could include the implementation of training programs for patients and caregivers. It is essential that health policies consider these needs to ensure that cancer patients can achieve optimal levels of independence and quality of life postoperatively.