Objective To investigate the predominant symptoms reported by patients after pulmonary tuberculosis surgery and compare the differences between these symptoms and those perceived by healthcare providers. Methods From July 15, 2025, to January 31, 2026, semi-structured interviews were conducted with postoperative patients who underwent pulmonary tuberculosis surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Chengdu Public Health Clinical Medical Center to obtain their postoperative symptoms. During the same period, a questionnaire survey was used to collect symptoms perceived by 29 healthcare providers in the Department of Thoracic Surgery regarding the postoperative symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis patients during hospitalization. The differences between the top five symptoms reported by patients and those perceived by healthcare providers were compared. Results Among the 52 enrolled patients, the median age was 50.50 (32.00, 58.00) years, with 16 (30.8%) female patients and 36 (69.2%) male patients. A total of 29 symptoms were reported by the patients, including 24 physiological symptoms, 2 psychological symptoms, and 3 symptoms related to daily functioning. The top 5 symptoms by frequency of reporting were: chest pain (269 reports, 52 patients, 100.0%), cough (210 reports, 50 patients, 96.2%), sleep disturbance (117 reports, 42 patients, 80.8%), difficulty walking (60 reports, 26 patients, 50.0%), and shortness of breath (58 reports, 33 patients, 63.5%). A total of 23 symptoms were perceived by 29 healthcare providers, with the top five by frequency of reporting being: chest pain (27 reports), cough (22 reports), shortness of breath (17 reports), sweating/night sweats (16 reports), and fever (11 reports). Chest pain, cough, and shortness of breath were the major symptoms reported by both patients and healthcare providers. However, sleep disturbance and difficulty walking, which were of greater concern to patients, were not identified by healthcare providers as important postoperative adverse experiences. The reporting rates of the 23 symptoms perceived by healthcare providers showed a positive and statistically significant correlation between the patient and healthcare provider groups (Kendall’s Taub=0.546, P<0.001). Conclusion There is a certain degree of consensus between healthcare providers and patients regarding the overall postoperative symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, but some discrepancies exist in their perceptions of the major symptoms. Healthcare providers need to pay more attention to the recovery of patients' daily functioning.
