Care aimed at caregivers in the hospital environment: perception of caregivers of cancer patients

Abstract

The caregiver is of major importance in cancer treatment, as he is responsible for providing support to the patient, managing emotional symptoms and helping with more practical actions. Thus, it was intended to verify, based on the caregivers’ perception, what were their main demands and how they evaluated the care provided to them within the health services, in the outpatient context and during hospitalization. Data collection was carried out with caregivers of cancer patients undergoing palliative care at a public reference hospital in Brasília, from June to August 2022, through semi-structured interviews. A welcoming attitude on the part of professionals, quality information and self-care were described as caregiver needs. The majority did not envisage a service aimed exclusively at themselves and few mentioned psychology as such a service, however, they evaluated the service generally offered as being of quality. It was also identified as care of the caregiver: a nurturing posture of the team and assistance in activities of changing diapers and bathing. With this data, it was verified a need to implement more care actions directed at the caregiver, in view of their prominence in the treatment.