Primary Health Education for Palliative Care: Qualitative Study
Published 2025-06-19
Keywords
- Palliative Care; Health Education; Primary Health Care
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2024 Audrei Castro Telles, Carlos Roberto Thomaz Júnior, Fransley Lima Santos, Renata Carla Nencetti Pereira Rocha, Marcelle Miranda da Silva, Eunice Maria Casimiro dos Santos Sá
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Introduction
As the network's organizer and care coordinator, Primary Care monitors users in its territory, focusing on longitudinal care, promoting palliative care and integrating the other points of the Network. However, its professionals still have little knowledge of palliative care, which is justified by the exclusion of the subject in training. With this in mind, as part of a doctoral research project using action research, a Basic Palliative Care Course was organized for mid-level and technical primary care professionals in the municipality in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Objective
Correlate the knowledge acquired in the Basic Course of Palliative Care with the principles of the National Policy of Palliative Care.
Methods
This is a qualitative, descriptive study. Data was collected in June 2023 using a questionnaire with open questions by Google FormsR. A total of 37 primary care workers took part. Thematic content analysis was applied. Ethical aspects were respected.
Results
Thirty-seven professionals took part in the study, including Community Health Workers and Nursing Technicians. The category “The construction of knowledge for a practice based on the principles and foundations of palliative care” was identified. There was an understanding of the need for early provision of palliative care at different points in the network. They recognized that this approach contributes to qualified and humanized care; they pointed out the importance of communication in care planning; they pointed to palliative care as a citizen's right and as a means of helping patients and their families to live with illness and finitude.
Conclusion
The knowledge acquired shows a strong link with the guiding principles of the National Palliative Care Policy published in Brazil in May 2024, demonstrating that educational activities can be effective in disseminating knowledge on the subject and strengthening the policy.