Avaliação do aconselhamento sobre cuidados paliativos para pacientes oncológicos em um hospital universitário

Abstract

Background: The practice of Palliative Care is guided by principles that advocate a multidisciplinary assistance; which offers care to the patient and his family at all stages of the disease. Palliative Care should be instituted early, preferably at the time of diagnosis. Objectives: The objective is to assess whether counseling and the early institution of Palliative Care are taking place, and, if so, if this occurs in the service surveyed. Method: This is a cross-sectional and observational study, developed at University Hospital Lauro Wanderley (HULW). Patients older than 18 years and who knew their cancer diagnosis, whether newly diagnosed or not, were included, regardless of the stage of the disease. Patients still undergoing diagnostic investigation for cancer were excluded. Results: 46 patients had a diagnosis of presumed or confirmed cancer, 20 of which were confirmed. Of these, only 12 reported knowing their diagnosis. Half of the interviewed patients (n = 6) received advice on Palliative Care. With 3 of them, Palliative Care counseling took place at HULW and in all cases the physician was the professional responsible for advising the patient. Conclusion: It is concluded that, despite having an environment that provides satisfactory care to patients, the service studied needs to improve Palliative Care counseling for cancer patients.