As interações dos profissionais de saúde na conferência familiar em cuidados paliativos

Abstract

In today’s society, the ongoing increase of the average life expectancy rate is evident, which leads to a substantial rise in chronic disorders and degenerative disease, where Palliative Care arises as a crucial and urging answer so as to face the multidimensional needs felt by the patient and their family system throughout the process of an incurable, serious, progressive and advanced disease. In this way, the family conference emerges as a privileged communication strategy that allows family-patient-centered care in a structured and problem-drawn resolution, where the several subjectivities intertwine and interact in an environment of proximity. Guided by the investigation question “Which experience do healthcare professionals have within the interaction with the parties involved in the Family Conference in the context of Palliative Care?” qualitative research was carried out by means of the Grounded Theory Method by Corbin & Strauss (2015). The following goals have been set: to understand the experience of the healthcare professional while interacting within the Family Conference in the context of Palliative Care, and to build an instrument of support for the decision in favor of carrying Family Conferences out in the context of Palliative Care. As an information-gathering tool, the interview was used. The information collected was analyzed according to the codification system proposed in the Grounded Theory approach. The results obtained enabled us to understand the Family Conference in Palliative Care as an intersubjective place in the process of a patient and their family's interactive follow-up. It develops itself in three stages: the preparatory stage, the conduction, and the aftermath of the family conference. The preparatory stage is based on a causal condition, which conditions not only the progression but also the aftermath of the conference. The conduction of the family conference is the moment when it takes place, being influenced by its previous preparation. The aftermath is the consequence of everything carried out, which conditions the interaction process and the following family conferences, in case of a new meeting. One must also note the need to standardize the execution of family conferences in the context of PC.

Date of Award	4 Nov 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Manuela Amorim Cerqueira (Supervisor) & Margarida Maria Vieira (Co-Supervisor)