Abstract

PALMEIRA, Heloísa Maria; SCORSOLINI-COMIN, Fabio  and  PERES, Rodrigo Sanches. Palliative care in Brazil: an integrative review of scientific literature. Aletheia [online]. 2011, n.35-36, pp. 179-189. ISSN 1413-0394.

The aim of this study was to present an integrative review of the national scientific literature about palliative care in the assistance of patients with serious diseases, showing mainly the role of multidisciplinary teams. 12 articles published in the databases PePSIC, SciELO and LILACS between 2000 and 2011 were recovered with location and selection criteria. Generally, such articles are exploratory, descriptive and qualitative, and they were developed with the small samples constituted essentially of cancer patients or health professionals placed in hospice services. It is suggested, therefore, the development of new studies, especially meta-analyzes and experimental or quasi-experimental studies, together with patients affected by other serious diseases - such as cardiovascular, pulmonary or neurological - which actions are also palliative applicable.

Keywords : Palliative care; Death; Patient care.