Palliative Care in the Pre-Hospital Service In Brazil: Experiences of Health Professionals

Abstract

Background: An integrated care network between emergency, specialized and primary care services can prevent repeated hospitalizations and the institutionalized death of terminally ill patients in palliative care (PC). To identify the perception of professionals in a pre-hospital care (PHC) service about the outcomes of the assistance provided to patients eligible for PC. Methods: Study with a qualitative approach, of interpretative nature, based on the perspective of Ricouer's Dialectical Hermeneutics. Results: Three central themes emerged out of the professionals' speeches: (1) unpreparedness of the team, (2) decision making, and (3) dysthanasia. Conclusions: It is necessary to invest in professional training associated with PC in the home context and its peculiarities, adopt a specific policy for PC that involves all levels of care, including PHC, and adopt a unified information system, as well as more effective procedures that favor the respect for the patients' will, without generating dissatisfaction to the team and the family.