A Multidimensional Mental Health Nursing Intervention to Improve Psychological and Postoperative Recovery Outcomes: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Background: Surgery is a physiological and psychological stressor. Perioperative anxiety, depressive symptoms and pain catastrophizing activate neuroendocrine and inflammatory pathways that are associated with poorer wound healing, higher analgesic need and slower recovery. Mental health support is nevertheless inconsistently integrated into perioperative nursing care.
Objective: To synthesize evidence on nurse-deliverable psychological interventions in the surgical pathway and to propose a multidimensional mental health nursing intervention for improving psychological and postoperative recovery outcomes.
Methods: A critical narrative review was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus and the Cochrane Library. Evidence was synthesized thematically into six intervention domains and a four-phase delivery pathway.
Key Findings: Preoperative anxiety affects roughly half of surgical patients worldwide. Compassion-based interventions show large pooled effects on perioperative anxiety (g = −0.95) and depression (g = −0.82). Cognitive-behavioural strategies, relaxation, guided imagery and music are associated with lower anxiety, pain and analgesic use, although benefits in oncological surgery have not always persisted after discharge.
Conclusion: Combining screening, psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioural strategies, mind-body relaxation, sensory comfort and compassionate communication across the preoperative, intraoperative, postoperative and discharge phases offers a feasible, nurse-led framework. Pragmatic trials are needed to test its effect on recovery outcomes.