RESUMO
Background and purpose – Interdiscipli nary researches demonstrate that patients’ fears and anxieties about surgery play a key role in the success of postoperative recovery. Psychoeducation is a professional information transfer method that aims to increase patients’ knowledge about their dis ease, and how to cope with it, and to emo tionally process the problems associated with the disease. If patients feel competent in their own healing process after surgery, they will experience less pain and become selfsufficient sooner, thereby the number of nursing days spent in the clinic reduces.
Methods – In this study the effect of psycho-education before spinal surgery on the use of postoperative analgetics was investigated. Results – The drug consumption of the study group who had been previously administered patient education is significantly reduced in comparison the control group.
Conclusion – Cooperation of a psychologist in surgical therapy promotes early recovery of patients in physical and mental wellbeing and reduces the costs of rehabilitation as well.