PSICOLOGIA HOSPITALAR E CUIDADOS PALIATIVOS: atuação com pacientes com câncer em final de vida e seus familiares

Abstract

Cancer is a disease that affects different dimensions of the patient's and family's life, influencing their quality of life and causing psychological distress. When the patient is at the end of life, it is indicated that the care is carried out through an approach called palliative care and the role of the hospital psychologist in this context can contribute to coping with the suffering experienced. This research aimed to understand the possibilities for hospital psychologists to work in palliative care with adult cancer patients at the end of life and their families. Five hospital psychologists working in this area participated. A semi-structured interview was used as a data collection instrument, having been transcribed and analyzed through content analysis by thematic category. The results demonstrate that the main demands of patients and family members involve fear of death, anticipatory grief and difficulties in facing and talking about death. The main interventions carried out by the interviewees are the acceptance of anguish, mediation of communication between the team, patient and family and assistance in the elaboration of mourning. In view of the complexity of the illness process, which involves different types of knowledge, it is necessary to work in a multidisciplinary team. The importance of the role of the hospital psychologist in palliative care is highlighted in order to help the patient and family members in the elaboration of the feelings arising from the suffering experienced in this process of illness and end of life.