Publicação
Perceção dos utentes acerca da prestação de Cuidados Paliativos por Médicos de família
| Resumo: | Introduction:The increasingly pronounced aging of the portuguese population demands a new focus on palliative care, particularly at the level of Primary Health Care. This study was developed with the aim of understanding patients' perspectives regarding the provision of Palliative Care by family physicians. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire (using the “snowball” methodology), applied to adult people. The sample size was calculated based on the target population (portuguese adult population), and the collected data were analysed using Microsoft Excel®, IBM SPSS 29.0, and MAXQDA. Results: In a sample of n=409, 66% female, with a mean age of 42,58 years, where most participants held a bachelor’s or master’s degree and had a monthly income above the minimum wage, it was found that 87,8% believed that family doctors could play an important role in providing care to people with palliative needs. Those who were familiar with the WHO definition were more likely to consider that family doctors have a role in palliative care compared to those who were not. The most valued opportunity was the motivation of family doctors, while the main barrier identified was their high workload. The aspect most frequently considered as a priority for the implementation of palliative care practice by family physicians was professional training. Discussion:It would be expected to find a positive association between knowing someone currently receiving or who had received palliative care and the perception of the importance of involving family doctors in this context. It was found that a higher percentage from the people who knew the official definition of PC answered that they consider that General Practitioners can really play a relevant role in the provision of PC, which allows us to conclude that one of the bases of the change in the paradigm of the health care network may consists in the education and health literacy of the population. It was also noted that both the most identified opportunities and barriers aligned with the responses given by family doctors surveyed in 30 european countries. The prioritization of professional training also aligns with many previous studies.Conclusion: There is still a relevant and necessary path to follow in Portugal to ensure that our National Health System can answer in a timely and appropriate way to the demands of an increasingly aging population. |
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| Autores principais: | Pinto, Patrícia Morgado Oliveira |
| Assunto: | Palliative care Primary Health Care Patient perception Cuidados Paliativos Cuidados de saúde primários Perceção do utente |
| Ano: | 2025 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso embargado |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade de Coimbra |
| Idioma: | português |
| Origem: | Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra |
| Resumo: | Introduction:The increasingly pronounced aging of the portuguese population demands a new focus on palliative care, particularly at the level of Primary Health Care. This study was developed with the aim of understanding patients' perspectives regarding the provision of Palliative Care by family physicians. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire (using the “snowball” methodology), applied to adult people. The sample size was calculated based on the target population (portuguese adult population), and the collected data were analysed using Microsoft Excel®, IBM SPSS 29.0, and MAXQDA. Results: In a sample of n=409, 66% female, with a mean age of 42,58 years, where most participants held a bachelor’s or master’s degree and had a monthly income above the minimum wage, it was found that 87,8% believed that family doctors could play an important role in providing care to people with palliative needs. Those who were familiar with the WHO definition were more likely to consider that family doctors have a role in palliative care compared to those who were not. The most valued opportunity was the motivation of family doctors, while the main barrier identified was their high workload. The aspect most frequently considered as a priority for the implementation of palliative care practice by family physicians was professional training. Discussion:It would be expected to find a positive association between knowing someone currently receiving or who had received palliative care and the perception of the importance of involving family doctors in this context. It was found that a higher percentage from the people who knew the official definition of PC answered that they consider that General Practitioners can really play a relevant role in the provision of PC, which allows us to conclude that one of the bases of the change in the paradigm of the health care network may consists in the education and health literacy of the population. It was also noted that both the most identified opportunities and barriers aligned with the responses given by family doctors surveyed in 30 european countries. The prioritization of professional training also aligns with many previous studies.Conclusion: There is still a relevant and necessary path to follow in Portugal to ensure that our National Health System can answer in a timely and appropriate way to the demands of an increasingly aging population. |
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