Objective To explore the reason for poor compliance in hand protection after childhood hand surgery, and to propose the corresponding nursing strategy. Methods The retrospective analysis was made on the 220 children who received hand surgery from January 2016 to November 2016. The reasons for poor compliance in hand protection after childhood hand surgery were analyzed. Results The common reasons for poor compliance in hand protection post-operation of the 220 children were child patient factor, disease factor, parent factor and nursing factor. Conclusion The factors affecting the compliance in hand protection after childhood hand surgery are multiple. Regarding these factors, a positive and effective strategy should be adopted to improve the compliance in hand protection.