Introduction: Preoperative mental preparation of patients with a mental disorder or acute mental illness for operation is an important element, as these patients are already under much stress and experience fear before surgical procedure, so their illness presents another obstacle in preparation for surgery. The importance of quality mental preparation and specialised knowledge of nurses on how to prepare patients with a mental disorder on a surgical procedure must also be stressed. Nurses spend much time with patients in the preoperative period, so they assume a very significant role. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to present the significance of mental preparation of patients with a mental disorder on surgical procedure. Methods: In thesis, the descriptive research method was used – narrative review of Slovene and foreign literature. Academic and professional articles were found in foreign electronic databases (Medline, Science Direct, Wiley Online Library, CINAHL). The databases were accessed remotely through the Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana (DiKUL). The literature written in the Slovene language was obtained through Internet search and bibliographic database COBISS.SI. Results: We determined that mental preparation for surgical procedure is essential in patients without other problems associated to mental health; evidently, it is even more important for patients with a mental disorder or acute mental illness, which patients can experience because they are afraid of the procedure. For these patients, therapeutic communication is the key healthcare activity. Furthermore, we determined that operating nurses and nurses employed in the department of surgery lack knowledge and skills required to work with patients with a mental disorder. Discussion and conclusion: The results show that this field is usually overlooked and not devoted enough attention. It was determined that therapeutic communication is essential, as it allows nurses to establish a trusting relationship with patients more easily, which also encourages patients to cooperate in the treatment. The literature review showed that the quality of therapeutic communication results in better and faster recovery of patients and reduces the number of postoperative complications.
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