Representações sociais de médicos e enfermeiros sobre distanásia em UTI

Abstract

This research aimed to understand the social representations of physicians and nurses about excessive investment related to the terminal patient during the health care process in an Adult ICU. The specific aims of such project were to describe how physicians and nurses mean the end of life and the excessive investment regarding the terminal patient, to investigate how such professionals evaluate their academic learning process concerning health care during the dying process, and to identify reactions and feelings of physicians and nurses related to the death of the terminal patient. It consisted of a qualitative, exploratory/descriptive research, founded on Social Representations Theory. Data collection techniques consisted on focused interviews and participant observations. Analysis was based on content analysis. The ethical principles were respected, so that the participants rights were preserved, and an Informed Consent Document was signed as a condition to participate in the research. Among the results, it was possible to observe that physicians and nurses build their social representations about dysthanasia in the ICU under the influence of several factors, having as a starting point the absence of teaching and preparation to deal with death in the hospital context during undergraduate studies and medical residency, as well as the complexity of the daily contact with death and the dying process, together with feelings and defense mechanisms, spirituality and religiosity. Moreover, there are assertions that dysthanasia really happens, the firm pleads of the family of the terminal patient admitted in an ICU, the great complexity of decision making, that begins before admission of the patient in the ICU, decisions whether to invest on the patient or not, and the criteria used to decide when to stop investing, the role of the health professionals team on decision making, the enormous preoccupations concerning ethical and legal repercussions related to the decisions made as concerns the Code of Professional Ethics and the Brazilian Law, besides absences and euphemisms employed when registering the diagnosis, prognosis and care offered to the terminal patient, and last, the expectation of a dignified death as concerns the professional himself and the family, wishing to die at home, together with the family, having accepted the end of life. This study concludes that there are urgent needs of improvement regarding multiple aspects related to death: its approach during undergraduate studies and residency; adequate communication among professionals during decision making process and during the professional activities in the ICU, the ponderation between the wishes of the family and the real possibilities of survival of the patient. It is important to consider the situation of the patient and think that, concerning a hypothetical end of life, everything the professional dispenses to the patient in an ICU is solely what he would not desire as a dignified death, for himself or his family members.