The Suffering of Cancer Patients in Palliative Care

• Autor(a) principal: Susana Soares Capela , Rita
• Data de Publicação: 2012
• Outros Autores: Luís Alves Apóstolo, João
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.31877/on.2012.21.05
• topic: sofrimento; cuidados paliativos; oncologia; suffering; palliative care; oncology

Background - The goal of palliative care is to prevent and relieve suffering. One of the targets in palliative care is the characterization of suffering so as to support pain relief interventions. Aims: To characterize patients’ suffering in oncology palliative care and assess if pain is less important than the other themes related to suffering for these patients. Methods: Quantitative descriptive study, using the Inventory on Subjective Suffering Experiences in Illness by McIntyre and Gameiro (1997) on a sample of 50 cancer patients in a palliative care unit. Results: These patients experience a higher socio-relational and psychological suffering (means = 3.67; 3.49), particularly in affective-relational aspects. They show a highest mean in the loss of physical vigour (4.31). Pain has the lowest mean scores (2.32), with the exception of socio-professional changes. The dimension “existential suffering” has a lower mean score (3.28), although existential limitations show a mean score of 3.96. These patients also show median levels of positive suffering experiences (3.00). Conclusion: Cancer patients in palliative care show highest levels of socio-relational suffering, particularly affective-relational changes. The loss of physical vigour is a source of a lot of suffering. The psychological issues and the existential limitations contribute to this. Pain is the symptom that affects less. The mean levels of positive suffering experiences show hope.