This is an integrative review of literature carried out in September 2019. For theoretical basis, MedLine (PubMed and Lilacs) database was used. To organize the search, the following MeSH terms were used: “physician-patient relations” and “surgery”. Of the total number assessed, only three studies met the proposed criteria. Our results demonstrate the lack of studies that exclusively evaluate the surgeon-patient relationship. However, three studies make up the evaluation of the medical professional’s empathy with the patient. The work conducted by the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo validated the use of the CARE (Consultation and Relational Empathy) scale of empathy to Brazilian Portuguese, thus becoming a tool available to assess the physician-patient relationship. The second study, the authors aimed to contribute towards the validation of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSPE) in Portugal. In this manner, our study found no other studies that use scales to evaluate empathy in the surgeon-patient relationship in Brazil. However, the CARE (Consultation and Relational Empathy) scale, already validated in Brazil, can be used as an evaluation method of the surgeon-patient relationship, despite the need for larger studies for its due implementation
