Desvelando a percepção dos familiares a respeito da terapia intensiva como lugar de morte

Abstract

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a functionally grouped structure with specialized human resources and materials, to provide continuous care of critical patients. However, the structural characteristics and the severity of the patients here admitted, the ICU is popularly seen as a place destined to die and not to survive. This study aimed to understand the motivations of people to consider the environment as ICU to die. So a meta-synthesis was conducted to answer the research question: what are the reasons why the family of ICU patients recognize this unit as a place to die? The keywords used were Intensive Care Units; death; Qualitative Research; Patients and family. The databases used were Medline and Lilacs. Obtained in VHL virtual health library a total of 239 articles, of which 235 were excluded. Four articles were included in this meta-synthesis sample. The results indicate that the motivation for people to realize the ICU as a place to die were basically: physical and structural characteristics of the unit, dependence on appliances, fear of gravity and consequent specter of death, cold environment, loneliness, separation from family and routines of the sector, particularly tight control of visiting hours. Finally, it is concluded that, in light of these reasons identified, the humanization of the sector and interdisciplinary work can mitigate this process and contribute to a change in view of the family in relation to the ICU.