In recent years, the incidence and mortality of lung cancer ranks the first among malignant tumors. At present, the first choice for treatment is surgery. As a minimally invasive technique, thoracoscopy is widely used in the treatment of lung cancer. Although thoracoscopic surgery has the advantages of less trauma and less pain, the stress response and complications of postoperative patients have become important factors affecting and restricting the surgical effect, postoperative rehabilitation and quality of life. Nursing intervention has played a positive role in improving the therapeutic effect and postoperative rehabilitation of patients. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of refined nursing on postoperative early ambulation in patients with thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer. A total of 135 patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer from August 2018 to January 2019 were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, 67 in the control group and 68 in the observation group. The patients in the control group were given routine nursing, while those in the observation group were given refined nursing on the basis of routine nursing. The first time of getting out of bed, the ambulation distance on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day after surgery, the time of anus exhaustion and defecation, the incidence of postoperative complications and quality of life scores on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd postoperative days were analyzed. The first time of getting out of bed (11.6土5.7h), the time of anus exhaust (24.1土8.6h) and defecation (35.0土8.9h) in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (P<0.05). The ambulation distance on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd day after operation in the observation group was significantly higher than those in the control group (P <0.01), and the quality of life was higher than that in the control group (P <0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications was 13.23%, which was lower than that (28.36%) in the control group (P <0.05). The application of refined nursing in patients undergoing thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer can effectively shorten the time for patients to get out of bed after surgery, increase the ambulation distance, accelerate anal exhaust and defecation, reduce complications, improve quality of life, and promote rehabilitation of patients.