The present health system not only takes care of patients´ lives, but also of their death. At the University of Granada (UGR), the group ‘Health and disease psychosocial and cross-cultural aspects’ works on a research line related to medical attention to this sort of patient. The aim of these studies is to get a palliative mentality in health professionals.
Through a project financed by the Health Research Fund of the Institute Carlos III, the UGR researchers analyse health professionals´ experience with the terminally ill. The objective is to get to know what perceptions and emotions affect them when they face up to a patient´s death.
Psicological and social aspects are very important in the terminal patients´ care. “Not only the patient´s physical problems must be taken into account; this situation causes suffering, anxiety and fear to him, his family and the professionals who look after him. We need well-trained specialists”, Francisco Cruz Quintana says, coordinator of the research group.
Training
“If we detect which are professionals´ problems, they could be trained to confront this sort of situation better”, Cruz explains. Currently, a free choice subject is given in the University School of Health Sciences of the UGR which deals with psicosocial aspects of death in a sanitary, social and cultural context. According to the researcher, it should be compulsory for all the students.
This study starts from the conclusions of a previous work, in which 350 professionals who have been working for years in hospital contexts of Granada. “In general, they admit they are not prepared to face this sort of situations; this type of problem causes them a lot of stress”, Francisco Cruz says. In this new project, researchers intend to complete the information extending the study to Andalusia.
With regard to this subject, this research group is developing an instrument that allows to evaluate terminal patients´ suffering. Both works also have a sphere of application in Cuba, and that is why “we are going to be able to compare how both societies face up to death”, Cruz explains. In his opinion, “there are considerable differences between both countries when facing death.
Facing death
“Death is considered a failure of the health system”, the researcher admits. But this is just a cultural feature, which “faces away from death; in many cases, it causes that neither professionals nor relatives are ready to face the ill person´s death”.
Thus, it is not possible to dye at home for the relatives´ inability to look after the ill patient. According to the research work experience, “it is better to die at home, as long as the sanitary system supports it”, Francisco Cruz holds. “Our experience with palliative care in the terminal patient´s home has been very good, since it allows care humanization”, he concludes.
To deal with this study, researchers have taken a multidisciplinary perspective, resorting to the contribution of Psychology, Anthropology and Medicine may contribute to understand the different sensitivities involved.
Reference: Prof. Francisco Cruz Quintana.
Coordinator of the research group ‘Health and disease psychosocial and cross-cultural aspects’.
Dpt. of Personality, assesment and psychological treatment. University of Granada.
Phone numbers: 958-248036 / 244251.
E-mail: fcruz@ugr.es
SAS Report of 2002
