Humanization of care for the elderly in the intensive care unit: an important reflexion in pandemic context

• Autor(a) principal: Carneiro Dutra, Marina
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: César Guimarães Freire, Júlio, Guedes de Brito, Geraldo Eduardo, Azevedo Carvalho, Gustavo
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Sociedade em Debate (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://revistas.ucpel.edu.br/rsd/article/view/2925
• topic: Aged. Humanization of Assistance. Intensive Care Units. Pandemics.; Idoso. Humanização da Assistência. Unidades de Terapia Intensiva. Pandemia.

Increasing longevity is associated with a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, as well as a higher risk of infectious and contagious diseases, which increase the number of hospitalizations. The moment of hospitalization is particularly stressful for the elderly, especially in the Intensive Care Unit. Therefore, the need to provide humanized care arises, translated into the junction of life-sustaining technologies and the human factor when considering the biopsychosocial dimension of the patient and his family. This paper represents a theoretical study, of bibliographical nature, which sought to research indicators that hinder or facilitate the provision of humanized care by hospital staff in ICU settings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was concluded that humanized care provides physical and emotional well-being to the people involved. As facilitating factors of humanization, effective communication and welcoming the elderly and their families stand out. However, some obstacles hinder this process, such as: physical structure, overloaded staff, poor remuneration, and restricted or absent visiting hours due to the pandemic. Therefore, it is necessary to plan health actions for the elderly, aiming to provide them in a comprehensive and humanized way.