Distanásia em crianças: significados atribuídos por médicos de unidades de terapia intensiva

Abstract

This research aimed to know as the physicians of the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units (ICU) mean the dysthanasia. The specific objectives sought to identify the impact of the children's death to the physician; to understand like they live the difficulty of a child's cure; and to understand as the physician of the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units identify their preparation to work with situations of life end in children. For so much, it was used an exploratory/descriptive study, of qualitative approach. Participated in the research 6 physicians and 5 residents, belonging to the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. As instrument for the data collection it was used a semi-structured interview. The information of the interviews was transcribed and analyzed starting from the 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 observed that the physicians mean the dysthanasia in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units under influence of multiples factors, leaving of the absence of the teaching and preparation to work with the death in the hospital daily during the graduation; the complexity of the daily coexistence with the death and the process of dying, together with the feelings and defense mechanisms; the statements that the dysthanasia really happens; the obstinate requests of the terminal patient's family interned in ICU, are going to have doubts in relation to the investment, or no, in the same and in the criteria used to know if they apply investing; the divergences of the team in the sockets of decision; the enormous fear of the ethical and legal repercussions in relation to the taken decisions, in what refers to the codes of practice and the Brazilian Penal code. It was ended, in this study, that improvement needs exist with respect to multiple aspects regarding the death: their approach, in the graduation and residence; appropriate communication among the professionals during decision making process and during the work in ICU; the consideration between the desires of the family and the real possibilities of survival of the patient.