Analysis of pain impacts on biopsychosocial aspects of patients under palliative care

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) defined the concept of Palliative Care as assistance provided by a multidisciplinary team for patients with a life-threatening illness. Its objective is to improve the quality of life of patients and their families, its first principle is relief of pain and other physical, social, psychological and spiritual symptoms. To ensure total pain relief, it is necessary the individual to be seen as a whole. For that, the multidisciplinary team must have qualified listening, giving them the possibility to talk about their history, their feelings, their wishes and decisions. Objective: To analyze the impacts of pain on the biopsychosocial aspects of patients in palliative care. Method: Descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach carried out at a State hospital in Espírito Santo, with patients being monitored by the multidisciplinary palliative care residency team between January and October 2021. A questionnaire was applied to assess the impacts of pain on patients in palliative care and was composed of questions involving three domains: physical, psychological and social. Each item to be answered had two options to choose from (yes and no). Results: Considering the impacts of psychosocial pain: 40% of respondents had a strong or total level of impact. As for the impacts of physical pain: 40% of respondents had a strong or total level of impact. Regarding the physical assessment of pain, 80% of patients stated that pain limits some activity of their day. Considering the psychosocial assessment of pain, 70% of respondents said that pain prevents them from working, followed by 60% who say that pain causes sadness and anxiety. Conclusion: It was evident that almost half of the interviewed patients had physical and psychosocial impacts. Furthermore, the number of diseases the patient has did not interfere with the impacts caused by pain.