SUMMARY
A study of problems related to nursing assistance of patient's religious need in presurgical stage. Two hundred adult patients of both sexes admitted in three hospitals of São Paulo were interviewed. One hospital was a governmental institution, and two were private.
Patient's interviews were made by means of a form containing open questions, which were filled out by the researcher according the patient's answers.
Therefore it was able to reinforce the existent thought of the human being having a theological instinct, for almost the totality of the studied patients believed in God and showed their beliefs with unlike religious practices. Patients belonged to different denominations, most of them roman catholics.
The common problem found among patients was the fear of surgery, which decreased with religious practices. In such a way, it was pointed out the significance of nursing service of admission, for this was the main nursing problem found in this study: large number of patients were unable to realize their practices while in hospital, given the lack of orientation the main reazon for that.
Patients also suggested what they would like to receive from the hospital to attend their religious need. All the suggestions could be solved through the application of nursing process, considering the patient's dependence degree.