Abstract
This exploratory and descriptive study aims to understand the perceptions of the interdisciplinary team of the Porto Alegre Clinical Hospital Pediatric Oncology Unit, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, regarding palliative care in the context of childhood cancer. The sample consisted of one representative from each of the 12 professions that make up the interdisciplinary team. Individual semi-structured interviews were carried out and the material was analyzed by content analysis. There has been confusion, starting at diagnosis, between the concepts of palliative care and exclusive palliative care, generating feelings of frustration, impotence and guilt. The results point to the need to create spaces for theoretical discussions about death and palliative care, as well as systematic meetings to address the perceptions related to the care of these patients.
Palliative care; Medical oncology; Oncology service, hospital; Patient care team