Conceptions of health and disease/disease of people with cancer in palliative care

Abstract

The objective of this study is to know the perception of the health and disease/illness processo of people with câncer that are in palliative care and making use of medicinal plants. It is an exploratory and descriptive qualitative research, carried out in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. The data were collected between June and September 2018. The participants were people with cancer in palliative care, accompanied by the Interdisciplinary Oncology Home Hospitalization Program at the Teaching Hospital of the Federal University of Pelotas, which use medicinal plants. Twenty people participated, 14 of whom were with the caregiver during the interview, which sometimes encouraged them to answer the questions. The perceptions of the health and disease/illness process for people and self-care practices that they apply to face the disease may be different. The health process used by the participants is characterized by the search for different possibilities to solve their physical or emotional restlessness, while in the disease, it is associated with the recovery of autonomy for daily activities. The conceptions of health and disease/illness for people with cancer in palliative care are not unalterable, there are new meanings through social interactions and the spaces where they live.