Aprendizado sobre avaliação e manejo da dor em cuidados paliativos: percepções de graduandos em terapia ocupacional

Abstract

Palliative care (PC), according to the World Health Organization, is a multidimensional approach aimed at improving the quality of life of patients and their families facing life-threatening illnesses, with a focus on the prevention and relief of suffering. One of the basic principles of this practice concerns the promotion of relief from distressing symptoms, with pain being one of the most frequent and severe symptoms experienced by individuals requiring such care. Despite the high prevalence of pain in this context, gaps remain in the training of healthcare professionals, including occupational therapists, which limit the adequate assessment and management of this symptom. This study aimed to investigate the perception of undergraduate occupational therapy students regarding learning about the assessment and management of pain in patients receiving PC. It is a cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative approach, conducted with 13 final-year students of the Occupational Therapy program at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). Data collection was carried out through an online questionnaire, and the analysis was conducted using simple descriptive statistics. The results revealed a superficial understanding of the concept of PC, with limited knowledge of the principles guiding this practice. It was also found that the foundations for pain assessment and management emphasized the importance of analyzing the relationship between pain and occupation; however, they lacked essential frameworks, such as gold-standard assessment aspects and supportive assessment tools. The educational process on the topic was shown to be centered on occasional lectures, with limited inclusion in practical, research, and outreach activities, and with an absence of contact with essential foundations such as palliative rehabilitation, bereavement, bioethics, and pharmacology. This scenario resulted in levels of dissatisfaction among students regarding their preparation for practice in this field. It was concluded that the theoretical and practical gaps identified hinder the development of essential skills, reinforcing the need to reformulate teaching strategies by fostering active methodologies, supervised clinical experiences, and interdisciplinarity, in order to prepare occupational therapists for effective, patient-centered care.