Den intensivvård som kan erbjudas till patienter i Sverige idag är en mycket högspecialiserad och högteknologisk vård. Den har möjliggjort livsuppehållande åtgärder till den grad att det blivit nästan omöjligt för en patient att dö utan att först blivit föremål för diskussion om att ta till alla tänkbara medel. När intensivvårdsinsatserna inte längre är meningsfulla för patienten, utan bara blir till ett utdraget lidande i väntan på döden, tas ibland beslutet att avstå eller avbryta behandling. Syftet med studien är att belysa intensivvårdssjuksköterskans upplevelse av att vårda patienter där beslut om att avstå eller avbryta behandling tagits. Metoden som använts är en litteraturstudie som bygger på 8 artiklar. Artiklarna valdes inom det kvalitativa kunskapsparadigmet. Resultatet visar att sjuksköterskor ställdes inför existentiella tankar kring liv och död, framförallt det egna livet och döden. Det skapade negativa känslor såsom förvirring, sorg, ilska och skuld. Samtidigt upplevdes det som ett privilegium att få ge avgörande vård för patienten och att möjliggöra en värdig död utan onödigt lidande för patienten och dennes närstående. Erfarna sjuksköterskor hade det lättare och var mer trygga i att avstå eller avbryta behandling än sina oerfarna kollegor. Andra kollegor beskrevs som det viktigaste och starkaste stödet. Sjuksköterskor hade svårt att beskriva vilken roll de vill att läkaren skulle ha, men det fanns en upplevelse över att ansvarsfördelningen mellan läkare sjuksköterska var oklar. Hierarkin upplevdes som ett hinder. I diskussionen belyses möjligheten att integrera den moraliska och etiska problematiken redan under utbildningen för att vara bättre förberedd och medvetandegöra värdet av handledning i yrkesmässig växt. Genom att sträva efter ett utökat tvärprofessionellt samarbete kan vården av patienter där beslut om att avstå eller avbryta intensivvård ska eller har tagits underlättas. / Program: Fristående kurs

SammanfattningVid en förlust av en nära anhörig kan ett barns livsvärld förändras, vilket kan innebära ett lidande för barnet. Beroende på barnets ålder, utvecklingsstadium och tidigare erfarenheter reagerar alla barn olika. Sjuksköterskan kan möta barn i sorg inom vården och därför behöver denne veta hur barnet reagerar på förlusten av en nära anhörig.Syftet med studien är att belysa hur barn upplever förlusten av en nära anhörig. Vi gjorde en litteraturstudie mellan årtalen 1999-2011, där vi använde oss av åtta artiklar i vårt resultat. Där framkom fyra ämnen: barnets sätt att hantera sorgen, omständigheter kring dödsfallet, förståelsen av döden utifrån ålder och utveckling och genusperspektiv. Barnen behöver rak och ärlig information anpassat till dess ålder och utvecklingsnivå. Vidare framkom att sjuksköterskan behöver mer kunskap inom området.

A presente pesquisa teve como principal objetivo propor uma estrutura inicial para a implantação da logística reversa no setor automobilístico brasileiro. Para tanto, foi utilizado o método de pesquisa misto, compreendendo tanto a pesquisa qualitativa como a quantitativa. Para a parte qualitativa foram aplicados questionários a empresas do setor automobilístico, uma representando as montadoras, outra representando as seguradoras, desmanches e uma empresa que opera com sucata, no intuito de captar a percepção das mesmas quanto ao tema. Para a parte quantitativa, o ferramental utilizado foi o método de programação linear, sendo a aplicação do modelo realizada para o estado de São Paulo, devido à sua representatividade no setor automobilístico brasileiro e às ações já encaminhadas, neste estado, no sentido de implantação de uma logística reversa de automóveis de forma padronizada. Foram especificados seis cenários, para melhor análise do modelo, considerando, diferentes disponibilidades na oferta de automóveis, na capacidade instalada de sucateiros e no número de sucateiros. Na parte qualitativa, os resultados apontaram para a divergência quanto à opinião dos agentes, sugerindo que não há um consenso formado quanto à implantação da logística reversa no setor automobilístico brasileiro. Na parte quantitativa, os resultados da aplicação do modelo matemático apontam para a viabilidade de implantação deste processo e para a necessidade de ampliação da capacidade de instalada para reciclagem de metais. / This research aimed at proposing an initial framework for the implementation of reverse logistics in the Brazilian automotive industry. For this, it was used the mixed research method, comprising both qualitative and quantitative research. For the qualitative part, questionnaires were applied to companies in the automotive sector, representing the automakers, another representing insurers, miscarriages and also a company that operates scrap in order to capture the perception of them for the subject. In the quantitative part, the tool used was the linear programming method, being the application made to State of São Paulo, due to its share in the Brazilian automotive industry and the actions already under way in this state, to implement reverse logistics vehicles in a standardized way. Six scenarios were specified, for better analysis of the model, considering different availabilities in car supply, the installed capacity of scrap and the number of scrap dealers. In the qualitative part, the results pointed to the divergence for the views of the agents, suggesting that there is no consensus formed about the implementation of reverse logistics in the Brazilian automotive industry. In the quantitative part, the results of the application of the mathematical model point out to the implementation of this process feasibility and the need for the increase in the installed capacity for metal recycling.

This thesis is a critical assessment of Edith Stein’s critique of Martin Heidegger, which is focused on the definition of the human being. I explore Stein’s ontology of the person from the point of view of her examination of Heidegger’s existential ‘Dasein’ and the way she reaches a very different answer to the same question that Heidegger posed, the question of the meaning of being. To this end I examine key passages of Stein’s most important ontological work Finite and Eternal Being - An Attempt at an Ascent to the Meaning of Being along with its appendix Martin Heidegger’s Philosophy of Existence, in which she directly discussed Heidegger’s philosophy, focusing on his work Being and Time. In the first part of this research I draw a historico-philosophical overview of the academic and political background of the period between World War I and World War II in Germany in order to position both authors in context and investigate their philosophical influences as well as their ambiguous relationship with the phenomenological school. The central part is dedicated to Stein’s analysis of Heidegger’s Dasein: I compare and explain both authors’ approaches to the philosophical understanding of human being, person, life, soul and death. This investigation was carried out with both a hermeneutical and terminological analysis. I draw upon the results to demonstrate how Stein’s phenomenology of life experiences enlarges the borders of human finitude to embrace the possibility of its ontological horizon while Heidegger restricts and concentrates the entire ontological question on the Dasein, its existence and ultimately its finitude. My findings provide an assessment of the limits as well as the strengths of Stein’s critique. I demonstrate that Stein attempted to build a bridge between classical ontology and phenomenology, while Heidegger’s distance from the philosophical tradition was rooted in his methodological refusal. I also show how their opposite methods and findings present unexpected similarities and how Stein’s philosophical significance should be reconsidered in the light of her work. This research leads to various implications for today’s philosophical debate and makes it possible to view Stein’s theory of being in a wider ethical context, as presented in the final part of this work. I argue that Heidegger depersonalises and violates traditional ontology to explain the human being only in terms of pure existence, while Stein’s portrait of the ‘fullness’ and the meaning of life contributes to the discussion between philosophy and religion. In the final section of this work I show how some of the elements emerging from Stein’s critique of Heidegger can cast a light on the current ethical discussion about how death is understood and experienced socially, and how best to care for the dying.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo compreender a vivência do familiar cuidador durante e após cuidar de um ente querido em seu processo de fim de vida e morte. Com os crescentes avanços científicos e tecnológicos, a expectativa de vida da população mundial tem aumentado, além disso, pessoas de quaisquer faixas etárias têm sobrevivido por mais tempo a doenças graves e/ou acidentes. Essas mudanças significativas ocorridas na população têm aumentado a demanda por cuidados, que têm sido realizados, em sua maior parte, por familiares mais próximos. Dessa forma, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi conhecer melhor esse familiar cuidador; os impactos para ele na experiência de cuidar, o seu papel no processo, e como lida com as idiossincrasias dessa intensa vivência. O trabalho foi fundamentado no método fenomenológico de pesquisa de Amedeo Giorgi. Foram realizadas entrevistas individuais abertas com os colaboradores, que partiram da pergunta: Como foi para você ter acompanhado e cuidado de seu ente querido em seu processo de fim de vida? E como foi ter vivido a perda dele? Que foram acompanhadas de acordo com o que os familiares consideravam relevante. Participaram deste estudo seis adultos, três mulheres e três homens, com idades entre 26 e 63 anos, cuidadores de familiares acometidos por doenças potencialmente fatais. Os colaboradores foram localizados pela divulgação do trabalho entre pessoas conhecidas e escolheram participar voluntariamente. A compreensão das narrativas mostrou que: 1) Quando uma pessoa com doença potencialmente fatal é diagnosticada e passa a ser tratada/cuidada, é fundamental englobar nesses cuidados também sua família, em especial o membro cuidador, pois esse é fortemente afetado pela doença e seus desdobramentos, vivenciando impactos e rupturas, acompanhados de muito sofrimento e angústia; 2) A relação entre a pessoa com a doença/familiar cuidador e os profissionais de saúde mostrou-se importante, influenciando todo o processo de fim de vida e morte. Porém, os profissionais também apresentam suas dificuldades em lidar com o sofrimento e a finitude humanas. Assim, é imprescindível apontar a necessidade de também receberem cuidados em meio à sua prática cotidiana; 3) Destacou-se ainda a importância dos cuidados nãofarmacológicos/ não-técnicos no cuidado a cuidadores familiares e cuidadores profissionais. É necessário recuperar modos de escuta e acolhimento, em um movimento de se desvincular da grande dependência do tecnicismo, abrindo espaço para as subjetividades; 4) E ainda, é preciso enfatizar a necessidade do próprio cuidador, em sua intensa vivência, poder se ver/se perceber em todo esse processo. Perceber-se enquanto ser que sofre, angustia-se perante a dor e a morte. É importante que acolha a própria dor e angústia e, assim, possa crescer/projetar-se para as inúmeras perspectivas que o poder-ser da existência humana possibilita. Tendo como base os achados, ao final, há a apresentação de palavras diretamente escritas a profissionais e cuidadores. Dessa forma, este trabalho, enquanto amplia as compreensões a respeito da intensa vivência que é o cuidar de um ente querido/paciente em seus últimos momentos de vida, pode auxiliar familiares cuidadores e profissionais de saúde em sua profunda jornada / This study aimed to understand the experiences of family caregivers during and after caring for a loved one in the process of end of life and death. With important progress in scientific and technological areas, life expectancy of the world population has increased. Moreover, people of any age have survived longer with serious illnesses and/or accidents. These significant changes in population has increased the demand for care, which have been conducted, mostly by close relatives. Then, the aim of this research was learning more about this caregiver; understanding the impacts to him in care experience, their role in the process and knowing better how he deals with the idiosyncrasies of this intense experience. This work is based on the phenomenological research method developed by Amedeo Giorgi. The interviews had a non-directive approach and were started with the question: How did you experienced the taking care of your loved one in an end of life process? And how did having lived his/her loss? They were conducted taking in account what the participants considered as relevant issues. Six adults participated, three men and three women, ranging from 26 to 63 years of age; they were the main caregivers of relatives with potentially fatal diseases. The collaborators had knowledge about the study through divulgation for known people and voluntarily wished to cooperate. The comprehensive analysis of the narratives showed that: 1) It is fundamental to include family, especially the caregiver member, in the care when a person with advanced disease is diagnosed and is treated/cared. It because the caregiver is strongly affected by the disease and its consequences, experiencing impacts and disruptions, accompanied by much suffering and anguish; 2) The relationship between the person with the disease/caregivers and health professionals proved important, because it influences the whole end of life process and death. However, professionals also have their difficulties in dealing with suffering and human finitude. Therefore, it is essential to foreground the need to also receive care in their daily practice; 3) It was also highlighted the importance of nonpharmacological/ non-technical care in caring for family caregivers and professional caregivers. It is necessary to recover ways of listening and acceptance, in a movement to avoid the heavy reliance on technicality and to make room for subjectivities; 4) And, it is necessary to emphasize the need for the caregiver to see and perceive himself/herself throughout this process. Perceive himself as being who suffers and anguishes in front of pain and death. It is important to embraces his/her pain and anguish and, then, can grow/project himself to the numerous perspectives that the can-be human existence allows. At the end, based on findings, there is a presentation of words written directly to professionals and caregivers. Thus, this paper, while expanding understandings about the intense experience that is caring for a loved one/patient in the last moments of life, can help family caregivers and health professionals in your deep journey

Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-05-17T20:45:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 SerlandiaSilvaSousa.pdf: 5627954 bytes, checksum: 247a7c10cddfe915f80ebc5f5e03adb0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-17T20:45:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SerlandiaSilvaSousa.pdf: 5627954 bytes, checksum: 247a7c10cddfe915f80ebc5f5e03adb0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-30 / INTRODUCTION: The end of life of cancer patients can be not only painful, but also with a huge impact on their Quality of Life (QoL). There is a gap concerning to the care of which factors are relevant and important and how they can be managed by the health team. AIMS: Recognize which factors can affect the Quality of Life in women with advanced breast and cervical cancer. METHODS: From July to December of 2015, a Cross-sectional and prospective study was performed in 50 patients with advanced breast cancer and uterine cervical that had been treated in the outpatient and inpatient sectors at the Clinic of Oncology from the Aldenora Bello Institute of Oncology, São Luis, Maranhão. Sociodemographic, clinical and religious data were collected, and questionnaires were also applied: Religiosity and Spirituality Coping (REC), Quality of Life, Whoqol - bref of the World Health Organization (WHO), Depression Scale (Beck Inventory) and Self Efficacy Scale. In a second moment, after the death, the assessment of quality of life and at the end-of-life care variables were made via an interview with the patient's personal caregiver. To evaluate the correlation among the instruments that were considered in this study, it was calculated the Spearman’s correlation coefficient. RESULTS: It was not possible to realize the statistically significant correlation between QoL in patients' and their caregivers' perspective. There was a significant and positive correlation between length of hospital stay and ICU time with level of patients concern. There was still a weak but significant inverse correlation of the physical stress level of the patients and their ICU stay according to the caregiver's perspective. Based on these caregivers' perspective, the QoL in the last days of life obtained an inverse and significant correlation with the variable negative reevaluation of the spiritual meaning of the patients. The length of stay (LOS) in an intensive care unit (ICU) had a strong and significant inverse correlation with self-efficacy. Moreover, the patient's level of concern had a positive and significant correlation with depression. CONCLUSION: In their last days of life, the patients had a low quality of life, becoming worse whether it is considered the length of stay (especially in ICU) in patients with negative reevaluation of the spiritual meaning, with low self-efficacy and depressed. / INTRODUÇÃO: O final da vida de pacientes com câncer pode ser, não apenas sofrido, mas também com grande impacto na Qualidade de Vida (QV). Há uma lacuna no atendimento de quais fatores são relevantes e importantes e que podem ser manejados pela equipe de saúde. OBJETIVO: Determinar quais os fatores que influenciam na qualidade de vida de mulheres com câncer avançado de mama e de colo de útero. METODOLOGIA: Estudo transversal e prospectivo realizado com 50 pacientes com câncer de mama e de colo de útero em estágio avançado, atendidas nos setores ambulatorial e de internação da Clínica Oncológica do Instituto Maranhense de Oncologia Aldenora Bello, no período de julho à dezembro de 2015. Foram coletados dados sociodemográficos, clínicos e religiosos, e ainda foram aplicados questionários: Coping religiosidade e espiritualidade (CRE), Qualidade de Vida WHOQOL – bref da Organização Mundial de Saúde (OMS) Escala de Depressão (Inventario de Beck) e Escala de Autoeficácia. Em um segundo tempo, após o óbito, foi feita a avaliação da qualidade de vida no final da vida e variáveis do cuidado no final da vida, através de uma entrevista com o cuidador fixo das pacientes. Para avaliar a correlação entre os instrumentos considerados no estudo foi calculado o coeficiente de correlação de Spearman. RESULTADOS: Não foi possível observar a correlação estatisticamente significante entre a QV na visão das pacientes e dos seus cuidadores. Houve correlação significante e positiva entre tempo de internação e tempo em UTI com nível de preocupação das pacientes. Ainda, houve correlação inversa fraca, porém significante, do nível de estresse físico das pacientes e a permanência em UTI, na visão do cuidador. A QV nos últimos dias de vida na visão dos cuidadores obteve correlação inversa e significante com a variável reavaliação negativa do significado espiritual das pacientes. O tempo de internação em UTI obteve correlação inversa, forte e significante, com autoeficácia. Já o nível de preocupação da paciente obteve correlação positiva e significativa com a depressão. CONCLUSÃO: As pacientes tiveram uma baixa qualidade de vida, nos últimos dias de vida, sendo pior quanto maior o tempo de internação (especialmente em UTI), nas pacientes com reavaliação negativa do significado espiritual, com baixa autoeficácia e deprimidas.

AIM - To explore the perspectives of service users and professional staff towards service user involvement within the context of a changing cultural environment at a UK hospice. METHOD - Case study and thematic analysis including interviews with 16 staff including the CEO and 6 service users at a UK hospice. FINDINGS - Three overarching themes were identified: involvement and disempowerment in decision-making; belonging and alienation in a period of organisational change; struggle to maintain wellbeing and identity in a changing culture. A key finding is that service users receiving care from the hospice wanted their voices to be heard, valued and respected for their personal care and issues affecting the hospice. Service users did not consider it a burden to be asked for their views. They felt disempowered by a consultation process about organisational changes that appeared not to take their views on board. There is a need to consider whether a reliance on surveys for involving service users is sufficient or can become tokenistic. External social-political-economic pressures plus increasing privatisation of public services could influence the way that hospices operate in future. This could involve moving from a sanctuary to a business culture and potentially towards managerialism by adopting a regulatory rather than rights-based approach with an emphasis on increasing reach, measuring numbers and hitting targets. Service users being viewed as consumers with a focus on reablement/rehabilitation activities and less on psychosocial support could also serve to push hospices to start behaving more like hospitals. CONCLUSION - More qualitative research is needed to ensure the voices of service users living with a life-limiting illness are heard. The contributions they make towards co-production of services and research should also be heard and influence practice and policy. Service users should also be more involved in education and training of staff.

Cuidado Paliativo é cuidado ativo total de pacientes cuja doença não é mais passível de responder a tratamento curativo. Almeja-se controlar a dor e outros sintomas e tratar de problemas de ordem psicológica, social e espiritual. O objetivo é melhorar a qualidade de vida do paciente e de seus familiares, de acordo com a definição da Organização Mundial de Saúde. Esta abordagem, portanto, é de responsabilidade de uma equipe multidisciplinar que enfoca a pessoa doente e o alívio integral do sofrimento. A vida é afirmada, e a morte é encarada como natural, não sendo antecipada nem postergada. Dada a importância desta difícil tarefa, é crucial que o atendimento seja de boa qualidade, e para tanto é necessário utilizar indicadores de qualidade do Cuidado Paliativo. No caso do câncer incurável, os indicadores de qualidade do Cuidado Paliativo incluem a avaliação da qualidade de vida, do controle dos sintomas e da satisfação do paciente e da família com o cuidado. Além desses indicadores, fundamentais, porém de difícil obtenção, existem aqueles obtidos com base em dados administrativos. Dentre estes, os mais frequentes são a fração de pacientes encaminhados ao Cuidado Paliativo, a porcentagem de pacientes que receberam quimioterapia no final da vida e fração de óbitos ocorridos na unidade de cuidados paliativos ou no domicílio. Numa situação ideal, espera-se que a grande maioria dos pacientes seja encaminhada à unidade de cuidados paliativos e que o óbito ocorra na própria unidade ou na residência do paciente, e não em unidades de emergência, na terapia intensiva ou em enfermarias gerais. Quanto à quimioterapia no final da vida, pode ser um indicador de tratamento inapropriadamente agressivo. Cabe ressaltar, contudo, que estes indicadores não estão universalmente validados. Levando-se em consideração esta limitação, estudos em outros países concluem que o Cuidado Paliativo é subutilizado e introduzido tardiamente no curso da doença. Este cenário negativo inclui o uso agressivo da quimioterapia no final da vida. Um diagnóstico de câncer de pulmão metastático geralmente implica em um curto tempo de vida com uma carga elevada de sintomas. Nesta situação, a quimioterapia parece ser vantajosa, prolongando a vida e melhorando a sua qualidade, quando se avalia esse grupo de pacientes de uma forma global. Em um paciente individual, porém, há de ser levar em conta seu estado funcional, bem como as comorbidades e a toxicidade do tratamento. Também são importantes aspectos da comunicação médico-paciente quanto ao prognóstico e os benefícios esperados da quimioterapia. Neste contexto, a necessidade da visão global do paciente e do controle de sintomas implica no Cuidado Paliativo, isoladamente ou associado ao tratamento oncológico específico. Resolvemos, portanto investigar, retrospectivamente, indicadores de qualidade, com base em dados administrativos, do Cuidado Paliativo em pacientes portadores de câncer de pulmão não pequenas células (CPNPC) metastático atendidos na Fundação Pio XII, Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, cujo óbito tenha ocorrido entre Janeiro de 2003 e Janeiro de 2005. Os indicadores escolhidos foram a porcentagem de pacientes encaminhados à unidade de Cuidados Paliativos, o local do óbito e a porcentagem de pacientes que receberam quimioterapia no último mês de vida.No total foram revisados 275 prontuários, destes 36 estavam incompletos, sendo elegíveis 239 pacientes para as análises. A data do óbito foi detectada em 218 pacientes, sendo o atestado de óbito disponível em 166 pacientes. A maioria dos pacientes (75,3%) tinha baixa escolaridade, analfabetos ou com o ensino fundamental incompleto. A cor era branca em 78,6% dos casos e a idade mediana era de 64 anos (intervalo 31-90 anos). O hábito do tabagismo foi detectado em 77,4% dos pacientes. Quanto às características clínicas, notamos que o escore de estado funcional Karnofsky (KPS) não foi registrado em aproximadamente metade dos pacientes. Naqueles em que havia registro, 58,8% apresentavam estado funcional preservado (KPS >70%). Os sítios de metástase mais frequentes foram o fígado (39,3%), ossos (22,6%) e cérebro (19,7%). Em relação aos sintomas, os mais frequentes foram dor (47,6%) e dispnéia (34,3%), sendo os opiódes usados por 36,8% dos pacientes. O tratamento oncológico consistiu em cirurgias (6,5%), radioterapia (61,9%) e quimioterapia (44,7%). Os esquemas mais utilizados (85,9%) em primeira linha foram as combinações baseadas em platina, com uma mediana de três ciclos administrados por paciente. A quimioterapia de segunda linha foi aplicada em 9,0% dos pacientes.Quanto aos indicadores de qualidade do Cuidado Paliativo, somente 104/239 (43,5%) dos pacientes foram encaminhados à unidade de cuidados paliativos. Nestes o óbito ocorreu em 38 ± 58 (media ± desvio padrão) dias, sendo uma fração importante destes, 20/104 (19,2%), em menos de quatro dias. Num modelo por análise de regressão logística, o sexo feminino, a menor escolaridade, a realização de radioterapia, a ausência de dor, e a ausência do uso de quimioterapia foram preditivos do encaminhamento à unidade (p=0,04; 0,03; 0,01; 0,03; 0,05), respectivamente. A quimioterapia foi aplicada em 46 dos 239 pacientes (19,2%) no último mês de vida, sendo a ausência de realização de radioterapia (p= 0,02) o único fator preditivo, pela análise de regressão logística. Em relação ao local do óbito, este ocorreu no domicílio ou na unidade de cuidados paliativos em somente 119/218 (55,5%) dos casos, sendo os restantes em enfermarias clínicas, na emergência ou em unidades de terapia intensiva. A sobrevida global foi de 4,4 ± 0,3 (media ± desvio padrão) meses após o diagnóstico da metástase, pela análise de Kaplan-Meier.Em conclusão, este grupo de pacientes portadores de CPNPC metastático não se beneficiou plenamente do Cuidado Paliativo e uma fração significativa destes foi submetida a tratamento agressivo no final da vida. A dificuldade em estimar-se o prognóstico e fatores culturais ligados a negação da finitude humana e exaltação da tecnologia, além de barreiras na comunicação médico-paciente precisam ser melhor estudados / Palliative Care is the total active care of patients whose disease is no longer amenable to curative measures. Control of pain and other symptoms is a priority, and psychological, social and spiritual issues are taken into consideration. The goal is to improve the quality of life of patients and of their families, according to the World Health Organization definition. Thus a team approach is necessary, with focus on the individual as a whole and aiming to ease suffering. Life is affirmed and death is seen as natural and neither hastened nor postponed. Given the importance of this hard task, quality of care should be optimal. In relation to incurable cancer, Palliative Care quality measures include the evaluation of the quality of life, of symptom control and of patient´s and family satisfaction with care. In addition to these measures, which are fundamental but difficult to obtain, there are those obtained from administrative data. Among these, the most frequent are the percentage of patients who were referred to the palliative care unit, the percentage of patients who were treated with chemotherapy near the end of life and the fraction of patients who died in their homes or in the palliative care unit. In an ideal setting, the great majority of these patients should be referred to Palliative Care, the place of death should be the Palliative Care unit or the patients´ homes. Death should not occur in emergency rooms, intensive care units or acute care inpatient units. Regarding chemotherapy administration near the end of life, that may imply in an inappropriately aggressive treatment. However, these quality measures lack universal validation. With this caveat in mind, studies conducted in other countries concluded that Palliative Care is underutilized and introduced late in the disease course. This negative scenario includes the aggressive use of chemotherapy near the end of life.A diagnosis of metastatic lung cancer usually implies in a short survival and a heavy symptom burden. Chemotherapy may prolong survival and improve the quality of life, when this population is analyzed as a whole. In the individual patient, however, performance status, comorbidities and treatment toxicity must be taken into consideration. Patient-doctor communication issues that deal with prognosis and the expected benefits of chemotherapy are also critical. In this context, to see the patient as a whole and symptom control demands Palliative Care, alone or in addition to specific anti-cancer treatment.Thus, we decided to retrospectively investigate administrative based quality measures of Palliative Care in metastatic non small cell lung cancer patients (NSCLC), who were managed at Fundação Pio XII, Hospital de Câncer de Barretos, and who died from January 2003 to January 2005. The measures that were chosen were the percentage of patients who were referred to the palliative care unit, the place of death and the percentage of patients who were treated with chemotherapy in the last month of life. A total of 275 patient charts were reviewed, 36 were incomplete, thus 239 patients were eligible for the analysis of clinical and treatment characteristics. The time of death was available for 218 patients, and the death certificate was available for 166 patients. Most (75,3%) patients had a low educational level, being illiterate or with incomplete elementary school. Patients were white (78,6%) with median age of 64 years (range 31-90 years). Smoking history was positive in 77,4% patients. In relation to the clinical characteristics, Karnofsky (KPS) performance status score was not recorded in approximately half of the patient group. In those that it was available, 58,8% presented with preserved functional status do (KPS>70). The most frequent metastatic sites were liver (39,3%), bones (22,6%) and brain (19,7%). The most frequent symptoms were pain (47,6%) and shortness of breath (34,3%); opioids were used by 36,8% dos patients. Cancer treatment was surgery (6,5%), radiotherapy (61,9%) and chemotherapy (44,7%). The most commonly used protocols in first line (85,9%) were platinun based combination chemotherapy, with a median of three cycles per patient. Second line chemotherapy was administered to 9,0% of patients.In relation to the Palliative Care quality measures, only 104/239 (43,5%) patients were referred to the unit, 38±58 days before death, being a significant minority, 20/104 (19,2%) referred late, four or less days before death. In a logistic regression model, female gender, low educational level, radiotherapy, lack of pain and lack of chemotherapy administration were predictive of referral to the unit (p=0,04; 0,03; 0,01; 0,03; 0,05), respectively. Chemotherapy was administered to a significant minority 46/239 (19,2%) of patients in the last month of life. In this case, the lack of radiotherapy was the only predictive variable by logistic regression analysis (p= 0,02). The place of death was in the patients´ homes or in the Palliative Care unit in only 119/218 (55,5%) cases, being the rest in acute care beds, emergency rooms or intensive care units. The overall survival after the diagnosis of metastatic disease was 4,4 ± 0,3 months, by Kaplan-Meier analysis.In conclusion, our NSCLC patients did not fully benefit from Palliative Care and a significant fraction of these patients were submitted to aggressive care near the end of their lives. The difficulty in estimating patients´ prognosis and cultural factors linked to the denial of human finitude and technicism, as well as patient- doctor communication barriers should be explored in future studies

BACKGROUND: Nurses working in intensive care units (ICUs) frequently care for patients and their families at the end-of-life (EOL). Providing high quality EOL care is important for both patients and families, yet ICU nurses face many obstacles that hinder EOL care. Researchers have identified various ICU nurse-perceived obstacles, but no studies have been found addressing the progress that has been made over the last 17 years.OBJECTIVE: To determine the most common and current obstacles in EOL care as perceived by ICU nurses and then to evaluate whether or not meaningful changes have occurred since data were first gathered in 1998.METHODS: A quantitative-qualitative mixed methods design was used. A random, geographically dispersed sample of 2,000 members of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses was surveyed.RESULTS: Five obstacle items increased in mean score and rank as compared to 1999 data including: (1) family not understanding what the phrase "life-saving measures" really means; (2) providing life-saving measures at families' requests despite patient's advance directive listing no such care; (3) family not accepting patient's poor prognosis; (4) family members fighting about use of life support; and, (5) not enough time to provide EOL care because the nurse is consumed with life-saving measures attempting to save the patient's life. Five obstacle items decreased in mean score and rank compared to 1999 data including (1) physicians differing in opinion about care of the patient; (2) family and friends who continually call the nurse rather than calling the designated family member; (3) physicians who are evasive and avoid families; (4) nurses having to deal with angry families; and, (5) nurses not knowing their patient's wishes regarding continuing with tests and treatments.CONCLUSIONS: Obstacles in EOL care, as perceived by critical care nurses, still exist. Family-related obstacles have increased over time and may not be easily overcome as each family, dealing with a dying family member in an ICU, likely has never experienced a similar situation. Based on the current top five obstacles, recommendations for possible areas of focus may include (1) improved nursing assessment regarding the health literacy of families followed with directed, appropriate, and specific EOL information, (2) improved care coordination between physicians and other health care providers to facilitate sharing care plans, (3) advanced directives that are followed as written by patients, (4) designated family contact communicating with family and friends regarding patient information, and, finally, (5) earlier, transparent discussions of patient prognoses as disease processes advance and patient conditions deteriorate.

Background: Around 100 000 people die in Sweden every day and most of them need palliative care. Palliative care means relieving relief and promoting good quality of life for dying persons. Palliative care is included in the education programme for nurses, although it varies during the education. The aim:To describe nurses experience of care in palliative care with focus on the end of life care. Method:A literature study based on eleven scientific articles. Main Result:Showed that care for dying patients are sensitive and emotional for nurses and this can affect palliative care. The experiences showed that nurses felt unprepared to meet dying patients, this was linked to deficiencies such as knowledge, time, experience and support. The result showed that communication and close relationships are basis for good palliative care and also the promotion of good quality of life for dying patients at the end of their lives. Conclusion: Palliative care is complex. In order for nurses to be able to offer good palliative care for the dying patients, better educations and strategies are needed to deal with difficult situations and build a stronger relationship with the patients and their relatives. Furthermore, lack of time and knowledge affects the care and nursing profession. Developing the experiences as well as constant reflection on nurse's work role can help to understand the care of dying patients better. / Bakgrund: Varje år avlider cirka 100 000 människor i Sverige. De flesta behöver palliativ vård. Palliativ vård innebär att lindra lidandet och främja god livskvalitet för döende personer. Palliativ vård ingår i utbildningen för sjuksköterskor, men innehållet varierar under utbildningens gång. Syfte: Att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelse av vårdandet inom palliativ vård med fokus på livets slutskede. Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på elva vetenskapliga artiklar. Huvudresultat: Visade att vårda döende patienter är känslomässigt för sjuksköterskor och detta kan påverka den palliativa vården. Upplevelserna visade att sjuksköterskor kände sig oförberedda att möta döende patienter, detta förknippades till brister såsom kunskap, tid, erfarenheter samt stöd. Resultatet visade att kommunikation och nära relation är förutsättningar för en god palliativ vård och främjar god livskvalitet för döende patienter i livets slutskede. Slutsats: Palliativ vård är komplex. För att sjuksköterskor ska kunna erbjuda en god palliativ vård till döende patienter behöver de mer utbildning och strategier för att hantera svåra situationer samt skapa en bättre relation med patienterna och anhöriga. Brist på tid och kunskap påverkar vård och sjuksköterskors profession. Utveckling av upplevelserna samt ständig reflektion över sjuksköterskornas arbetsroll kan vara till hjälp för en bättre förståelse av att vårda döende patienter.