Selection and preoperative preparation of plastic surgery patients

There is no nursing specialty in which the marriage between physical and psychosocial care of the individual is so evident as in plastic surgery nursing. The patient's surgical outcome and adjustment to the body image change depend largely on nursing care. During the adjustment period, the patient is likely to confide in the nurse, and it is clear that the patient benefits from a knowledgeable and empathetic nurse. Nurses and patients have long recognized the value of nursing care in the treatment of the plastic surgery patient. As plastic surgery becomes more widespread in the next century, the unique skills of the plastic and reconstructive surgery nurse will be even more treasured.