Abstract: PURPOSE: To explore the value of health education based on nursing pathway in oromaxillofacial head and neck tumor patients with percutaneous endoscopicgastrostomy. METHODS: The content model of health education for oromaxillofacial head and neck tumor patients with percutaneous endoscopicgastrostomy was constructed through literature review, brainstorming and expert consultation. Then the path-based health education pattern was developed based on the content model. The patients in the control group accepted routine health education, while patients in the intervenient group accepted path-based health education. The data were analyzed by nonparametric rank sum test using SPSS 22.0 software package. RESULTS: The content model of health education for oromaxillofacial head and neck tumor patients with percutaneous endoscopicgastrostomy consisted of 3 primary dimensions and 30 secondary items. After intervention, the home-care knowledge of the caregivers was increased(P<0.01) and incidence of major complications of patients was decreased(P<0.05) in the experimental group significantly than those in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The path-based health education can effectively improve the quality of health education for oromaxillofacial head and neck tumor patients with percutaneous endoscopicgastrostomy.

Key words: Oromaxillofacial head and neck tumors, Percutaneous endoscopicgastrostomy, Nursing pathway, Health education