Li X, Xiong LP, Zhang Y, Zhao TT, Zhang CY. From operating room to recovery: Evidence and gaps in cardiac surgical nursing integrative psychological support. World J Psychiatry 2025; 15(7): 107103 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i7.107103]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xing Li, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. 15208395764@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychiatry
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Xing Li, Li-Ping Xiong, Ying Zhang, Ting-Ting Zhao, Cai-Yun Zhang, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Li X, Xiong LP, Zhang Y and Zhao TT designed the review framework and identified the research focus; Li X, Xiong LP and Zhang Y conducted the literature search and selected relevant studies; Zhang Y, Zhao TT, Zhang CY contributed new insights and analytical tools for data synthesis; Li X and Xiong LP analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript; Li X provided critical revisions and final approval of the manuscript; all the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare no relevant conflicts of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xing Li, Associate Chief Nurse, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. 15208395764@163.com
Received: March 21, 2025 Revised: April 16, 2025 Accepted: May 19, 2025 Published online: July 19, 2025 Processing time: 110 Days and 19.4 Hours
Abstract
This review explored the application and effectiveness of and research gaps in integrative psychological support in patients undergoing cardiac surgery during the perioperative period. These patients often encounter psychological issues such as anxiety and depression, which affect their postoperative recovery and quality of life. Previous research indicated that preoperative psychological assessments and interventions significantly enhance patients’ psychological states and postoperative outcomes. Interventions, including preoperative education, mindfulness-based stress reduction, and cognitive training, have proven effective in reducing the incidence of postoperative delirium and anxiety. Intraoperative environment optimization (e.g., music therapy) and postoperative psychological support (e.g., family visits and psychological interventions in intensive care unit psychological interventions) positively influence patient recovery. Furthermore, theory-based nursing interventions and digital health tools (e.g., remote monitoring applications) offer new directions for psychological support. However, challenges, including fragmented psychological support, insufficient cross-stage integration, and inadequate training, remain in current nursing practices. Future research should focus on developing standardized psychological support pathways, enhancing multidisciplinary collaboration, and verifying the long-term effects of digital therapeutics.
Core Tip: Cardiac surgery patients often experience psychological issues like anxiety and depression, which impact recovery and quality of life. Perioperative psychological interventions effectively reduce these issues and improve outcomes. However, current care guidelines have limitations. This review assesses integrative psychological support in cardiac surgical nursing, highlighting effective interventions and identifying gaps to guide future research and enhance nursing practices.
