PALLIATIVE CARE: KNOWLEDGE OF PROFESSIONALS IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT OF A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Abstract

Introduction: Palliative care (PC) encompasses a range of professionals and skills necessary to achieve a satisfactory level of care that involves not only the patient, but their entire family and support network. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of professionals working in the ICU regarding palliative care, as well as to outline the profile of these professionals, compare knowledge about PC between professions and verify the correlation between sociodemographic variables and the professionals' perception of the topic. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study, carried out with professionals working in the adult ICU of a university hospital in the Midwest. Permanent professionals and residents working in the adult ICU were included, with at least one year of professional training; and professionals who were on leave for reasons of vacation, maternity leave or leave during the period of application of the questionnaire were excluded. The research was carried out between March and September 2022, with information collected in person. Results: 48 health professionals were evaluated, 73% (n=35) female professionals, with an average age of 30 ±7.35 years, with training time between 1 and 3 years. Only half of the professionals had some training in CP. There was an association between feeling capable of providing care to PC patients and having some type of training in the area. Conclusion: It is observed that the understanding of palliative care is still superficial and that this topic remains little explored in the academic environment.