Publicação
Palliative care and the modern response to suffering associated with health problems
| Resumo: | Suffering is a universal and inevitable human experience, which intensifies in the presence of serious illness and the proximity of death. When faced with an unchangeable life context, such as the refractoriness of an incurable, advanced, and progressive disease, we are challenged to look through the lens of meaning and suffering. Anchored in this premise, palliative care professionals implement clinical interventions aimed at mitigating suffering and enabling patients and caregivers to live with illness while envisioning hope and meaning. The purpose of this case study is to enable reflection, in light of the evidence, on the relationship between human suffering and palliative care, understanding them as an ethical and human expression of holistic care. This reflection stems from a broad view of suffering, encompassing its physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions, and presents palliative care as a compassionate response to suffering and finitude. This case study reflects on the concept of human suffering in its multiple dimensions and meanings. It identifies sources of suffering based on the analysis of a clinical case. The search for meaning in suffering and the suffering of healthcare professionals are addressed from the perspective of palliative medicine, at a time when resource scarcity and accessibility emerge as challenges for modern health systems. Suffering is inherent to the Human condition, particularly in situations of advanced illness. Although it is not possible to eliminate it, it can be addressed and managed, bringing it to tolerable limits. Palliative care emerges as a philosophy of care that restores dignity, empathy, and the value of life until its final moment, constituting an ethical and humane pathway in the face of death. |
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| Autores principais: | Pires, Maria da Conceição Fernandes |
| Outros Autores: | Ferreira, Cátia Marina Dias |
| Assunto: | Sofrimento Cuidados paliativos Fontes de sofrimento Cuidar Suffering Palliative care Care Sources of suffering |
| Ano: | 2026 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | artigo |
| Tipo de acesso: | unknown |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Católica Portuguesa |
| Idioma: | português |
| Origem: | Cadernos de Saúde |
| Resumo: | Suffering is a universal and inevitable human experience, which intensifies in the presence of serious illness and the proximity of death. When faced with an unchangeable life context, such as the refractoriness of an incurable, advanced, and progressive disease, we are challenged to look through the lens of meaning and suffering. Anchored in this premise, palliative care professionals implement clinical interventions aimed at mitigating suffering and enabling patients and caregivers to live with illness while envisioning hope and meaning. The purpose of this case study is to enable reflection, in light of the evidence, on the relationship between human suffering and palliative care, understanding them as an ethical and human expression of holistic care. This reflection stems from a broad view of suffering, encompassing its physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions, and presents palliative care as a compassionate response to suffering and finitude. This case study reflects on the concept of human suffering in its multiple dimensions and meanings. It identifies sources of suffering based on the analysis of a clinical case. The search for meaning in suffering and the suffering of healthcare professionals are addressed from the perspective of palliative medicine, at a time when resource scarcity and accessibility emerge as challenges for modern health systems. Suffering is inherent to the Human condition, particularly in situations of advanced illness. Although it is not possible to eliminate it, it can be addressed and managed, bringing it to tolerable limits. Palliative care emerges as a philosophy of care that restores dignity, empathy, and the value of life until its final moment, constituting an ethical and humane pathway in the face of death. |
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