Background <p>With approximately 2,481,000 new cases of lung cancer worldwide in 2022, to improve patients' quality of life after discharge, this study aimed to address the following questions: 1. What are the specific needs of patients and caregivers for discharge planning? 2. How can findings from qualitative research be translated into supportive care practices to meet the challenges of discharge from hospitals under the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Concept?</p> Methods <p>This study is a qualitative study. The research subjects were postoperative lung cancer patients and their families who were hospitalized in the thoracic surgery department of a tertiary hospital in Jinzhou City, China. The phenomenological information was analyzed using Corazzi's seven-step method.</p> Result <p>Ten patient-caregiver dyads participated, revealing four main themes and nine sub-themes: post-discharge physical distress (distress in traumatic somatic perception, distress in respiratory rehabilitation, conflict between pain and function), information imbalance dilemmas (fragmentation of healthcare information, group differences in digital literacy), social relationship dilemmas (shifts in caregiving roles, changes in psychosocial needs), and the need for post-discharge support (the need for continuity of healthcare resources, need for continuity of care).</p> Conclusion <p>This study revealed the discharge needs of lung cancer patients and caregivers across four dimensions of physical, informational, psychological, and social support, and this study calls for caregivers to integrate multidisciplinary support into discharge planning for patients with lung cancer to provide a new direction for supportive care practices for patients and caregivers after discharge.</p>