Palliative care: The challenge of health teams

Abstract

Technological advances in neonatology enabled the reduction of both death and life extension. The latter brings with it the need to think about how to care for people diagnosed with incurable disease, especially since such care includes psychosocial aspects, with implications for the relationships between professionals and with the patient and his family. This study aimed to look at national literature articles on health teams providing palliative care in neonatology. We conducted a literature review in national journals with descriptors palliative care, health team and neonatology. We identified 62 studies, but only 11 met the criteria relate at least two descriptors. No article listed the three keywords. The low number of publications highlights the need for more research in this area, since to provide quality of life since the disease diagnosis to the time of death is great stress for health professionals.