MEDICAL COMMUNICATION, PALLIATIVE CARE AND ONCOPEDIATRICS: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: In the context of oncological diseases, childhood cancer represents a condition with physical, psychological and social consequences, with impacts on the various actors involved, including the health team, the patient and the family. When it comes to oncopediatric palliative care, the objective of the interventions is the prevention and relief of suffering, and the identification and management of pain and other symptoms, through an integral approach, in which medical communication plays a relevant role. Objective: To identify the challenges faced in medical communication, having pediatric oncology palliative care as a discussion scenario. Method: The study was developed through an integrative review, following the guidelines recommended by the Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The selection of articles occurred in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) database and by the article indexing service of the National Library of Medicine (PubMed). Results: In total, 318 articles were found, 270 in PUBMED, and 48 in VHL. However, only 12 articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected to compose the integrative review. Conclusion: The medical communication is a relevant aspect in pediatric oncopediatric palliative care, but the management of information can be impacted by different variables, including lack of knowledge about the approach and difficulty in dealing with the finitude of life. Furthermore, studies are needed that address the perspective of children and adolescents as co-authors of the care process, given that most studies do not adopt this approach.