Equipes multiprofissionais em unidades hospitalares: religiosidade, qualidade de vida e estratégias frente à morte e ao morrer de pacientes

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate whether the professionals of the hospital health teams use their religiousness to better deal with the death and dying of patients. The survey was attended by 57 professionals from two different hospitals. The instruments used for data collection were: sociodemographic questionnaire, structured interview, Duke Religious Index (DUREL), Intrinsic Religiousness Inventory (IRI), WHOQOL-SRPB, Coping With Death Scale and Collett-Lester's Fear of Death Scale. The sample consisted of 83.9% of female participants, with an average age of 37.31 years (SD = 9.72). The intrinsic religiousness index found was high (M = 46.61; SD = 5.96), and whether or not religion had no effect on intrinsic religiousness. Regarding the WHOQOL-SRPB, the average found was 16.52 points (SD = 2.04) and there was no average difference between people with and without religion. The professionals of the hospital teams had a moderate fear of the death of others (M = 3.26; SD = 1.16) and a neutral ability to cope with death (M = 93.36; SD = 24.55). Qualitative analyzes have demonstrated dual feelings regarding the death of patients and the influence of religious thinking on conceptions of death. It was concluded that religiousness constitutes an important factor for the quality of life of the professionals surveyed and provides meaning and comfort in the face of the death of patients, but in isolation it is not able to minimize the fear of death.