The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of individualized nursing on improving the satisfaction of elderly patients with lung cancer undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy. A total of 72 elderly patients with lung cancer undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy in the First Hospital of Qinhuangdao (Qinhuangdao, China) were randomly allocated to a control group (n=36) or an observation group (n=36). The patients in the control group received routine nursing, and the patients in the observation group received individualized nursing. The patients' compliance with respiratory function exercise, the complications after surgery, and nursing satisfaction were recorded. The patients' compliance with respiratory rehabilitation exercise and the patients' satisfaction in the observation group were significantly higher than that in the control group. The length of hospital postoperative stay, the time of drainage tube indwelling, and the incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group were significantly lower than in the control group. Thus, an individualized nursing model can accelerate the rehabilitation of elderly patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy and improve patient satisfaction.