Profile of the palliative care physician in Brazil

Abstract

Palliative care is a multidisciplinary health care model that seeks to provide comfort to patients with life-threatening or severe and terminal illness. Palliative medicine has only recently been recognized in Brazil, and it is essential that physicians working in this area develop their knowledge. Thus, to improve training models in palliative care and in medical education in Brazil, we must understand the characteristics of this professional, identifying sociodemographic profile, professional training, and work activity. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory study, with a quantitative approach. Data were collected from a national survey conducted by means of questionnaires applied to palliative care physicians in Brazil.