Evaluation of the health professional’s knowledge about the palliatives care

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: One of the factors that influence palliative care is the absence of specific discipline in the training of health professionals. The professional who has no degree of training in palliative care (CP) tends, over time, to create emotional distance from the patient because he does not know how to deal with him. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the knowledge and experience of health professionals on the topic of palliative care. METHOD: This is a quantitative cross-sectional epidemiological study. A questionnaire was formulated, consisting of 10 objective questions that addressed the concept, perception, professional preparation and safety during the practice of PC. RESULTS: The sample included 80 professionals. It was observed that 40% knew the definition of PC proposed by WHO. Despite this, 57.5% perform CP in their work routine. 62.5% considered the strategies designed to cope with the physical and mental exhaustion that often accompany the professional who deals with CP to be insufficient. The perception was unanimous that it is necessary to prepare for the multidisciplinary team. CONCLUSION: In view of this, it is clear that some professionals do not acquire knowledge about PC during their training and many do not feel prepared to deal with this and with other issues that permeate the theme.