Reflections on emotional aspects of surgery patients

Abstract

This study deals with a literature review project whose objective is to identify, in the context of mental health, the emotional state of surgery patients, evidencing the importance of therapeutic support carried out by the nursing professional in the hospital environment. The study focuses on the role of the interdisciplinary team during the treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration of patients into social life. The therapeutic support helps the patient to better understand his/her condition, providing means in which to express him/herself spontaneously, thus freeing up his/her fears, anguish, and anxieties. In order for the therapeutic support relationship to be successful, it is necessary for the nurse to create bonds of empathy and confidence with the patient. Post-surgical complications may be triggered or aggravated resulting from the psychologic state of the patient, and it is up to the interdisciplinary team to know how to identify, intervene in and control such a situation, always in benefit of the patient and his/her family.