OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical outcomes and quality of life resulting from evidence-based nursing (EBN) in elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure. METHOD(S): 120 elderly patients with COPD and heart failure (EPCH) who were admitted to our hospital were randomly divided into a control group (CG) and an intervention group (IG) according to the principle of randomized control. The CG (n = 60) received routine care, and the IG (n = 60) underwent EBN. All were cared for over a period of 12 weeks and followed up for 3 months. The clinical treatment effect, compliance behavior, incidence of disease-related adverse events (DRAE), and nursing satisfaction during the follow-up period were compared, and the changes in lung function, exercise tolerance, quality of life, and self-efficacy were observed before the intervention and at 12 weeks after the intervention. RESULT(S): The total effective rate and nursing satisfaction of the IG (95.00%, 96.67%) were higher than they were in the CG (81.67%, 83.33%). The incidence of DRAE in the IG (3.33%) during the follow-up period was lower than it was in the CG (13.33%). Compared with the CG, the compliance behavior of the IG was significantly improved (p < 0.05). The forced vital capacity (FVC), the first forced expiratory volume (FEV1)/FVC, and the 6-min walking distance (WD6) in the IG were higher than they were in the CG after 12 weeks of care, and the scores of the Minnesota Living with HA Questionnaire (MLWHFQ) and the European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS) in the IG were lower than they were in the CG (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION(S): In elderly patients with COPD combined with heart failure, EBN can promote clinical efficacy and improve compliance, lung function, and quality of life, improve self-efficacy, reduce DRAE, and establish good relationships between patients and nurses.

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