Perioperative thirst: an analysis from the perspective of the Symptom Management Theory* Sede perioperatória: uma análise sob a perspectiva da Teoria de Manejo de Sintomas Sed perioperatoria: un análisis bajo la perspectiva de la Teoría del Manejo de Síntomas

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, State University of Londrina, Londrina, PR, Brazil. ABSTRACT A theoretical study aimed to analyze the existing knowledge in the literature on the perioperative thirst symptom from the perspective of Symptom Management Theory, and supplemented with the experience of the study group and thirst research. Thirst is described as a very intense symptom occurring in the perioperative period, and for this reason it cannot be ignored. The Symptom Management Theory is adequate for understanding the thirst symptom and is a deductive theory, focused on the domains of the Person, Environment and Health / Illness Status, as well as on the dimensions of Experience, Management Strategies and Symptom Outcomes. Using the theory leads us to consider perioperative thirst in its multifactorial aspects, analyzing the interrelation of its domains and dimensions in order to draw attention to this symptom that has been insufficiently valued, recorded and treated in clinical practice.