PRÁTICAS E EXPERIÊNCIAS DE PROFISSIONAIS DE SAÚDE SOBRE O PROCESSO DE MORTE E CUIDADOS PALIATIVOS

Abstract

The finitude of life and palliative care are issues that are rarely addressed in the training of health professionals, however when the health team is faced with the imminence of death, it is necessary to reflect on the offer of a moment of finitude that involves humanized care with regard to physical, social, emotional and spiritual aspects. The aim of this study was to understand the practices and experiences of health professionals about the process of death and palliative care. This is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study, whose participants were professionals from the intensive care unit and medical clinic sectors of a hospital in the state of Paraná. The interviews were conducted through guiding questions, having been recorded and later transcribed for analysis. From the narratives of the professionals' practices and experiences, it was possible to discuss the terminality of life and the association of palliative care with oncological disease and in the final moments of life, patient care with a predominance of the technician view and also the importance of family care. The inefficiency of palliative care practices was reported due to the lack of training on the subject, as well as the difficulties in dealing with and accepting the end of patients' lives and the importance of spirituality in the death process, both for professionals and patients and family members. The challenges were related from the emotional overload in dealing with the death and suffering of the other and the work overload in the institution due to the lack of professionals, difficulties in the ability to communicate with the sick person's family members and also difficulties related to interprofessional work., aspects that influence the quality of care offered. In view of this, the study concludes the professional's difficulty in looking beyond the technical look, demonstrating the professionals' lack of preparation to work with the death process, emotionally impacting them, with a feeling of helplessness and failure. The difficulty in communication skills with families and interprofessional performance of the team can be understood as reflecting the gap in professional training / qualification.