The terminality of life and the role of health professionals and their respective palliative care protocols

Introduction: Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families in the face of life-threatening illnesses, relieving suffering and treating pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual symptoms. In order to minimize pain and suffering in this dying process, it has become necessary to implement palliative care protocols in ICUs. Objectives: The aim of this study was to carry out an up-to-date literature review on the terminality of life and the role of health professionals and their respective palliative care protocols. Material and methods: The methodology used was a literature review. Results: The importance of treating a terminally ill patient was noted, many of the curative/restorative measures may constitute futile treatment, such as parenteral or enteral nutrition, administration of vasoactive drugs, renal replacement therapy, institution or maintenance of invasive mechanical ventilation and even hospitalization or permanence of the patient in the ICU. Conclusions: Through a review of the literature, this study found that the provision of palliative care to seriously ill patients and their families must follow the wishes of the patient themselves, their relatives and the multi-professional team. With regard to the patient's own wishes, the autonomy of the individual and the principle of non-maleficence must be respected, prioritizing decisions by consensus within the maximum certainty of irreversibility. Thus, the team's decision must be preceded by the consent of the patient or their legal representatives, recorded in the medical records.