Health professionals experiences in assisting children and adolescents who have cancer: a phenomenological study / Vivências de profissionais de saúde na assistência a crianças e adolescentes com câncer: um estudo fenomenológico

AUTOR(ES)
FONTE

IBICT - Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

08/10/2012

RESUMO

Cancer corresponds to a group of diseases that have in commom the power to proliferate abnormal cells of a primitive embrio origin in any part of the organism. Despite the scientific advances which allow a raise in the chances of cure, cancer triggers psychological repercussions in patients and their families. In this scenario of illness it is tantamount that these individuals may be assisted by health professionals who guide them and cater for their specific needs. However, the acting permeated by the contact with professionals from various areas, by long working hours and by the constant idea of unpredictability, vulnerability, suffering and loss of patients might generate anguish to these professionals, making it difficult to have high quality assistance towards these patients. This study aimed at understanding how health professionals, of different areas of expertise, actively working in a job which is specific to the pediatrics oncologic treatment, linked to a university hospital in the inner area of the state of São Paulo, see the experiences they have within the scope of their work. Eight professionals were interviewed and, having the subjects previously authorized, the interviews were recorded and transcribed word by word. The comprehension of the reports was performed according to the phenomenological reference, which is justified by the need to reach the experience exactly the same way it is lived and to get closer to the senses assigned by the participants. The interviews were qualitatively analysed in accordance with the method of situated phenomenon structure analysis, proposed by Martins and Bicudo (1989), Giorgi (1985) and Valle (1997) and, later, a reflexion upon the results was carried out in light of the Phenomenological Psychology proposed by Forghieri (2009). The results showed that the participants live their acting in an ambivalent way, marked by pleasures and difficulties. The pleasures are associated with the bonding built and with the lessons learned with patients and their families, with the recognition awarded by the done service and the opportunity of helping a peer. The difficulties are related to the contact with suffering and to the death of the patients, to the living with professionals of different specialities and to the difficult communication among them, the latest representing obstacles to an integrated acting. In spite of the difficulties, they reveal availability and good will to handle the patients, which makes them keep choosing this line of work. Aiming at dealing better with this scenario, they mobilize different resources of confrontation, yet, still in numerous moments, they feel unassisted both by their co-workers and the hospital institution, as well as by the academic course. Facing the practice challenges, this paper highlights the importance of rethinking the graduation in the area of health, and also the need of offering psychological aid to the professionals as a strategy of care towards the caretaker. Paying attention to the mental health of the health professionals is essential so that they are in good shape to adopt more humanistic approaches, offering assistance of a higher quality towards these patients.

ASSUNTO(S)

adolescent adolescente child criança fenomenologia health professional. phenomenology profissional de saúde. psico-oncologia pediátrica psycho-oncology pediatrics

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