Educational Needs and Perspectives about Palliative Care in Oncology: Interviews with Primary Care Physicians and Nurses

Introduction: This research was based on the essential components of palliative care provided by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Objective: To find out the knowledge primary care physicians and nurses have on palliative care in oncology and to identify the educational needs and perspectives related to the integration of this practice in primary care. Method: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were carried out with 17 primary care health professionals from the National Health System in eight Brazilian municipalities from Médio Paraíba, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between March and August 2022. Results: The results were analyzed along five axes: palliative care, welcoming in health, communication, health networking and learning. These axes corresponded to the main aspects detected in the research and revealed that professionals expressed a strong need for an adapted training program. Conclusion: The need for an educational process in palliative care capable of combining patient and family centered care with strengthening and valuing primary care professionals was highlighted.