A PSICOLOGIA HOSPITALAR NA TERMINALIDADE DA VIDA: um estudo de revisão

Abstract

Hospital psychology is an increasingly widespread area in Brazil. The importance of the work of the psychologist who works in the hospital context is due, among others, to the emphasis given to the psychological aspects, in addition to the physical-biological ones, in the health-disease process. When it comes to the death and dying of the terminal patient, the psychologist can work together with the health team, in order to promote palliative care and, with that, provide the individual with a better quality of life. This research aimed to highlight characteristics of the hospital psychologist's work by conducting a bibliographical review study. Two categories emerged from Thematic Analysis, the first on the importance of their work for the different actors who work in the context of palliative care and the second on the difficulties faced by these professionals during professional practice. The results showed that the relevance of the work of the hospital psychologist reflects in improvements in the psychological well- being of patients and their families, but also, significantly, in the quality of work life of the other members that make up the multidisciplinary health team. Future research on the subject can be conducted in order to clarify this finding.