Introduction: Nurse-patient interaction during the preoperative period allows intraoperative and postoperative coping, but is not done out of idleness or work overload. Objective: To describe the reflections about nurse-patient interaction during the preoperative period in a public hospital. Methods: Descriptive and qualitative research carried out at Belén Hospital in Lambayeque, Peru, during April and May 2020. The study population consisted of twenty nurses experienced in preoperative care. Nonprobabilistic sampling was done, using the “snowball” technique, permitting to identify eight nurses and thus reach saturation. The data were collected with a semistructured interview by telephone call and processed by content analysis. Results: Three categories emerged: a) indispensable elements for interaction: empathy and therapeutic communication; b) interaction to value and care for the emotional, spiritual and physical dimensions of the patient in the preoperative period; and c) benefits of interaction for recovery in the postoperative period based on patient and family education. Conclusions: Nurse-patient interaction starts through the empathy felt by the nurse and the trust that thus produced in the patient, which favors therapeutic communication, essential to value and care for the emotional, spiritual and physical needs prior to surgery. Likewise, health education to the patient and family is essential to comply with postoperative indications, in view of a successful recovery. However, an adequate nursing staff and assertive communication between the health care team and the family are needed. © 2022, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.