Palliative care: conception of Primary Health Care professionals

Introduction: Faced with an aging of the population and longer survival for people with chronic illnesses, care is no longer about curative measures but also aims to provide care that goes beyond curing, with a focus on the person, which is where palliative care comes in. Objective: To understand the conception of palliative care among Primary Health Care (PHC) professionals working in a Basic Health Unit in a southern city in Brazil. Methods: An exploratory and descriptive study with a qualitative approach, in which data was collected through semi-structured interviews, which were organized according to the Thematic Content Analysis technique. Six interviews were conducted with a multi-professional team working in PHC. Results: Most of the interviewees understood palliative care only as care during the active process of dying, without considering the possibility of intervention in other stages of life. This showed the fragility of identifying patients who would benefit from palliative care On the other hand, the majority of interviewees affirmed the importance of interprofessional work and the need for a good relationship with family members. Finally, they recognize that they have little access to palliative care services and that they do not follow any assistance or eligibility protocols. Conclusions: There is a lack of understanding of the concept of palliative care, as well as the need to address it among health professionals.