Spirituality in palliative care: experiences of an interdisciplinary team

Abstract

Objective To understand the experience of spirituality in the daily routine of a palliative care interdisciplinary team. Method A qualitative study was conducted with an oncological palliative care team in southern Brazil. The data was collected through phenomenological interviews in 2014, and interpreted using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Results Six professionals participated in the study. Spiritually-related activities, such as prayer and providing comprehensive care, were useful therapeutic resources for offering comfort, survival with dignity and humanization of death, in addition to helping the team and patients understand the end-of-life process and search for meaning in the suffering caused by illness. Conclusion Spirituality on the part of professionals with patients imparted meaning to their palliative care work and facilitated the formation of bonds between teams, patients, and family members.