Rev Rene (Oct 2024)

Knowledge of nursing undergraduate students about palliative care

  • Juliana Cardoso Feitoza Manso,
  • Aline Mayra Lopes Silva,
  • Rubens Nunes Veras Filho,
  • Deborah Pedrosa Moreira,
  • Ana Kelvia Oliveira Rodrigues Pontes,
  • Aline de Souza Pereira,
  • Carla Monique Lopes Mourão

DOI
https://doi.org/10.15253/2175-6783.20242593678
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25
p. e93678

Abstract

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Objective: to understand the knowledge about palliative care of undergraduate nursing students. Methods: qualitative study carried out in a private higher education institution, with 16 undergraduate students from the 9th and 10th semesters of a nursing course. We carried out individual interviews, recorded in audio using a smartphone and later transcribed. Results: four main thematic categories emerged: knowledge of students about palliative care; the role of the nurse in the care to patients undergoing diseases that threaten their lives and the care for their family; approaches to palliative care in nursing graduation; emotional fragility when dealing with patients at the end of their life. Conclusion: participants have partial knowledge about palliative care, especially regarding comfort and the quality of life of terminal patients. Contributions to practice: nursing undergraduate students showed gaps in the knowledge about palliative care, highlighting the need to improve educational syllabuses. Emotional support and developing resilience also stood out, showing how necessary it is to improve academic education and professional training in palliative care.

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