Contribution of transpersonal care to cardiac patients in the postoperative period of heart surgery. / Contribuição do cuidado transpessoal ao ser-cardiopata no pós-operatório de cirurgia cardíaca.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To know the contribution of Watson's theory to nursing care for cardiac patients in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery. METHODS: This is a qualitative study based on the research-care method conducted with ten patients who underwent cardiac surgery in a specialised hospital from June to August 2013, in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. Data were submitted to content analysis based on the Clinical Caritas Process. RESULTS: The results led to four thematic categories Awareness of being cared for by another being, System of beliefs and subjectivity, Relation of support and trust, and Expression of feelings. Surgery transformed the lives of the patients related to the process of being cared for by other people. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS The application of Watson's theory to care for cardiac patients after heart surgery shed valuable light on the importance of transpersonal care for the expansion of nursing care.