João Batista Santos Garcia1, Rayssa Fiterman Rodrigues2, Sara Fiterman Lima3. 1. Discipline of Anesthesiology, Pain, and Palliative Care, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil; Post Graduate Program, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil. Electronic address: jbgarcia@uol.com.br. 2. Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil; Academic League of Pain, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brazil. 3. Universidade Ceuma, São Luís, MA, Brazil.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: in Brazil, palliative care (PC) is not properly structured and that reality transforms this theme in a public health problem; therefore, initiatives become relevant in this context. This paper aims to share the experience that occurred in an oncology referral hospital in the State of Maranhão and present initiatives that helped in the development of PC Service. EXPERIENCE REPORT: the hospital had an outpatient Pain and PC Service, but without specialized beds. The terminally ill patients stayed in common wards, which caused much unrest. A sensitization process was initiated in the hospital through initiatives, such as a photo contest called Flashes of Life and a ward called Room of Dreams, designed in partnership with the architecture course at the Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. The process culminated in the granting of wards to the PC and in the commitment of the Foundation, sponsor of the hospital, to run the project. CONCLUSION: this experience was a reproducible local initiative for the establishment of PC in a cancer hospital. Local initiatives are valuable in Brazil because they favor a significant number of patients and show its effectiveness in practice to governments and society. To structure a PC service, it is essential to establish priorities that include the assignment of drugs for management of symptoms, humanization, multidisciplinarity, sensitization and education of professionals.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: in Brazil, palliative care (PC) is not properly structured and that reality transforms this theme in a public health problem; therefore, initiatives become relevant in this context. This paper aims to share the experience that occurred in an oncology referral hospital in the State of Maranhão and present initiatives that helped in the development of PC Service. EXPERIENCE REPORT: the hospital had an outpatientPain and PC Service, but without specialized beds. The terminally ill patients stayed in common wards, which caused much unrest. A sensitization process was initiated in the hospital through initiatives, such as a photo contest called Flashes of Life and a ward called Room of Dreams, designed in partnership with the architecture course at the Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. The process culminated in the granting of wards to the PC and in the commitment of the Foundation, sponsor of the hospital, to run the project. CONCLUSION: this experience was a reproducible local initiative for the establishment of PC in a cancer hospital. Local initiatives are valuable in Brazil because they favor a significant number of patients and show its effectiveness in practice to governments and society. To structure a PC service, it is essential to establish priorities that include the assignment of drugs for management of symptoms, humanization, multidisciplinarity, sensitization and education of professionals.