Isabel Cristina de Oliveira Arrieira

Cuidados paliativos na assistência hospitalar: a vivência de uma equipe multiprofissional

The objective of this qualitative, descriptive and explanatory study was to identify the experience of a multidisciplinary team in providing hospice care in the hospital setting. The study included six members of a multidisciplinary health team providing palliative care in a university hospital in the South of Brazil. The results indicate that when professionals began providing care to terminal patients, they experienced frustration and a sense of helplessness. The experience, however, enabled them to find new meanings for care delivery, coming to understand death as a natural event of life, and realizing the importance of ensuring quality of life and providing comfort to patients. The participants reported the need to strengthen communication, teamwork, and to create opportunities to discuss terminality. Thus, hospital care should meet the needs of patients receiving hospice care and those of their families, connecting and promoting actions to ensure patients have their suffering relieved and can survive with dignity. DESCRIPTORS: Patient care team. Palliative care. Hospital care. Terminally Ill. Attitude to death.

O sentido da espiritualidade na transitoriedade da vida

Objective: This study aimed to comprehend the meaning of the spirituality for integral care to people receiving palliative care. Methods: Qualitative methodology based on the theoretical framework of Viktor Frankl. Participants were nine people receiving palliative care at home. Data were collected through observation and interviews conducted from June to October 2014, recorded, transcribed and converted to text that was interpreted with phenomenological hermeneutic approach. Results: The following categories emerged: sense of continuity of life; sense of relief of suffering; sense of naturalness of death, and sense of valorization of life. Conclusion: For integral care it is necessary to include spirituality in the practice of health care. The study led to the confirmation of the hypothesis that spirituality provides the existential encounter between the person in palliative care and the professionals that provide integral care.Objetivo: Compreender o sentido da espiritualidade para a pessoa em cuidados paliativos. Metodos: Abordagem qualitativa, fundamentada na fenomenologia existencialista e referencial de Viktor Frankl. Os participantes foram nove pessoas em cuidados paliativos atendidas no domicilio. Informacoes coletadas por meio da observacao e de entrevista realizadas no periodo de junho a outubro de 2014, gravadas, transcritas e transformadas em texto interpretado com a abordagem fenomenologica hermeneutica. Resultados: Surgiram as seguintes categorias: sentido de continuidade da vida; sentido de alivio do sofrimento; sentido de naturalidade da morte e sentido de valorizacao do viver. Conclusao: Para a integralidade da atencao faz-se necessario a inclusao da espiritualidade na pratica do cuidado em saude. A espiritualidade proporciona o encontro existencial entre a pessoa em cuidados paliativos e os profissionais que a cuidam em sua integralidade.Objetivo: Comprender el sentido de la espiritualidad para la persona en cuidados paliativos. Metodos: Estudio con abordaje cualitativo, fundamentado en la fenomenologia existencialista y referencial de Viktor Frankl. Participaron nueve personas en cuidados paliativos atendidas en domicilio. Informaciones colectadas a traves de la observacion y de entrevistas realizadas entre junio y octubre de 2014, grabadas, transcritas y transformadas en texto interpretado con abordaje fenomenologica hermeneutica. Resultados: Emergieron las siguientes categorias: sentido de continuidad de la vida; sensacion de alivio del sufrimiento; sentido de naturalidad de la muerte y un sentido de apreciacion de la vida. Conclusion: Para obtener la integralidad de la atencion, se necesita la inclusion de la espiritualidad en la practica asistencial. La espiritualidad proporciona el encuentro existencial entre la persona en cuidados paliativos y los profesionales que la atienden en su totalidad.

Health workers coping with having a relative in palliative care for cancer.

Objective To know the experience of health workers who are coping with having a relative in palliative care for cancer. Methodology A qualitative study conducted with four family members of cancer patients in palliative care. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews from November to December, 2014, at the home of the participants. The data were analysed using the operative proposal of Minayo. Results Two themes emerged, Health worker and family member coping with a cancer diagnosis and Health worker and family member coping with the proximity of death. Conclusions Being a family member and a health professional at the same time demanded greater involvement in care and caused distress since these workers witnessed the suffering of a family member with a terminal disease. However, their professional knowledge supported decision-making during the care process.

Profesional de la salud ante la situación de tener un familiar en cuidados paliativos por cancer

Objective To know the experience of health workers who are coping with having a relative in palliative care for cancer. Methodology A qualitative study conducted with four family members of cancer patients in palliative care. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews from November to December, 2014, at the home of the participants. The data were analysed using the operative proposal of Minayo. Results Two themes emerged, Health worker and family member coping with a cancer diagnosis and Health worker and family member coping with the proximity of death. Conclusions Being a family member and a health professional at the same time demanded greater involvement in care and caused distress since these workers witnessed the suffering of a family member with a terminal disease. However, their professional knowledge supported decision-making during the care process.

Profissional da saúde frente a situação de ter um familiar em cuidados paliativos por câncer

Objective To know the experience of health workers who are coping with having a relative in palliative care for cancer. Methodology A qualitative study conducted with four family members of cancer patients in palliative care. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews from November to December, 2014, at the home of the participants. The data were analysed using the operative proposal of Minayo. Results Two themes emerged, Health worker and family member coping with a cancer diagnosis and Health worker and family member coping with the proximity of death. Conclusions Being a family member and a health professional at the same time demanded greater involvement in care and caused distress since these workers witnessed the suffering of a family member with a terminal disease. However, their professional knowledge supported decision-making during the care process.

Los cuidados paliativos en la asistencia hospitalaria: la vivencia de un equipo multiprofesional

The objective of this qualitative, descriptive and explanatory study was to identify the experience of a multidisciplinary team in providing hospice care in the hospital setting. The study included six members of a multidisciplinary health team providing palliative care in a university hospital in the South of Brazil. The results indicate that when professionals began providing care to terminal patients, they experienced frustration and a sense of helplessness. The experience, however, enabled them to find new meanings for care delivery, coming to understand death as a natural event of life, and realizing the importance of ensuring quality of life and providing comfort to patients. The participants reported the need to strengthen communication, teamwork, and to create opportunities to discuss terminality. Thus, hospital care should meet the needs of patients receiving hospice care and those of their families, connecting and promoting actions to ensure patients have their suffering relieved and can survive with dignity. DESCRIPTORS: Patient care team. Palliative care. Hospital care. Terminally Ill. Attitude to death.