The understanding and the respect of the Human Being as an individual, the preocuppation with his/her feelings, desires and rights, and the orientation for a qualified care towards the humanization in the attendance of the customer and family are the guidelines of this work, based on the Humanistic Theory of Paterson & Zderad (1988). The study was done with fifteen surgical patients interned in a Hospital in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. The accompaniment in the preoperative tried to identify and to reduce the factors responsible for anxiety, fear and discomfort caused by the imminence of the surgical act. The key-elements used in this humanization process regarding the client and his relatives, were the ability to empathize and verbal and non-verbal communication. The interaction experienced with the customers enabled us to assemble technical knowledge (instrumental rationality) and subjectivity (intuition and affection), developing a differentiated nursing assistance, with a stronger support and presence, orientation and reflection and, safety and comfort to the customer (the Human Being) attended.
humanization; surgical customer; humanistic theory