O bem-estar do doente paliativo: revisão bibliográfica

What makes us feel good has been a question since Antiquity. There has been a paradigm shift in research with a greater attention paid to positive variables. Based on a hedonic conception, subjective well-being is a key concept of positive psychology. It prioritizes the people’s point of view thus allowing access to their perceived quality of life. The objective of this work is to know the palliative patient well-being. To this end it was done an extensive research on this subject, using mainly articles of international journals and reference books. It addresses the concepts of palliative care and well-being, and the state of the art of subjective well-being. It is further explored the reality of being a palliative patient, promoters and inhibitors aspects of their well-being, and the role of family and health professionals in this equation. The article concludes with the consideration that receiving palliative care plays an important role in the patient’s well-being, but its access is still limited. With proper monitoring, the palliative patient can achieve a good perception of well-being, even at the end of life.