CUIDADOS PALIATIVOS: ENFERMAGEM E ORTOTANÁSIA

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.7602408102

• Palavras-chave: Enfermagem de Cuidados Paliativos na Terminalidade da Vida; Cuidados Paliativos; Assistência Terminal; Enfermagem.

• Keywords: Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing; Palliative Care; Terminal Care. Nursing.

• Abstract: The construction and organization of care models aimed at patients with terminal illnesses requires training and competent human resources, both in ethical and technical terms. The present study aimed to demonstrate the perception of nurses about palliative care for terminally ill patients and the process of death/dying. This is an exploratory, descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, carried out with 24 nurses, 16 from secondary care and 8 from primary health care in the state of Maranhão in September 2022. Data collection took place through a semi-structured questionnaire, the data were submitted to Bardin Content Analysis and discussed using published scientific evidence. Among the 24 nurses, there was a predominance of females (62.5%), age between 31 and 40 years (54.2%), brown skin color (62.5%), declared Catholics (45.8%) and time of experience >4 years (54.2%). From the content analysis, the following Core Meanings emerged: knowledge about palliative care and difficulties in providing care in the terminal phase; nurses' perception of the death/dying process; nursing care for terminally ill patients and palliative care in the hospital and home settings. It was concluded that the nurses surveyed demonstrated effective perception about palliative care for terminally ill patients and the death/dying process. However, providing care to terminally ill patients does not make the nurse qualified to perform such care; in this sense, training teams in palliative care becomes relevant.