Perioperative psychological issues and nursing care among patients undergoing minimally invasive surgeries

Minimally invasive surgeries, including laparoscopic, endoscopic, and robotic surgeries, have gained great popularity and have gradually replaced conventional open surgeries. Commonly, patients may have perioperative psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and delirium. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify how these psychological issues occur in minimally invasive surgeries and how nurses can take better care of patients to alleviate these issues. Only papers focusing on psychological issues during the perioperative period were included in the review, and preexisting issues before the setting of surgical treatment plan were not discussed. Compared to conventional surgeries, the incidence of postoperative anxiety, preoperative depression, and sleep disturbance is lower in minimally invasive surgeries, the incidence of postoperative depression may be higher with limited evidence, and the incidence of preoperative anxiety and delirium is inconclusive. Systematic perioperative nursing programs not only alleviate psychological issues, but also reduce postsurgical complications and accelerate recovery. However, special nursing programs to handle delirium are lacking.