Religiousness, Spiritual Well-Being and Transpersonal Caring in the Preoperative Period of Heart Surgery

Abstract

Introduction: The theory of transpersonal caring is useful in understanding critical moments in the health-disease process such as the experience of major surgery. This study aims to evaluate the religiousness and spiritual well-being of patients hospitalized in the preoperative period of heart surgery from the perspective of Jean Watson's transpersonal caring. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2017 at the surgical wards of a university cardiology hospital in northeastern Brazil. 174 participants were evaluated in the preoperative period of cardiac surgery using the Duke University Religion Index and the Spiritual Well Being Scale. Results: The results showed that patients made significant use of religion to maintain their spiritual well-being in the preoperative period. The analysis of the results found was carried out based on Jean Watson's theory of transpersonal caring. Discussion and conclusion: Existential crisis experienced by patients in the face of cardiac surgery, which involves restrictions, imposed changes and uncertainty, has an impact on the maintenance of well-being and its spiritual dimension which, in a transpersonal analysis, is a dimension of the individual's integral health.