Fear of death and loneliness

Palliative care for cancer patients in times of Covid-19 from the perspective of health professionals

Authors

  • Weverson Bezerra Silva

Abstract

This article is part of a “hospital ethnography”, reflecting on the experiences and practices of health professionals working in the “Covid ward” of the Hospital Napoleão Laureano (HNL), a reference in the treatment of people with cancer in the State of Paraíba. It is pertinent to understand that the arrival of Covid-19 affected the palliative care service and its various forms of care. Patients who were/are with the new coronavirus were unable to receive visits as a preventive measure to prevent the circulation of the virus in the hospital. About how this affected the practice of palliative care, health professionals highlighted the “absence of direct contact with patients”, “the distancing of relationships” and the “body seen as a contaminating agent and a suspicious body”. The article presents biosafety measures and contingency plans as forms of control of bodies and the relationship of care with patients.

KEYWORDS:
Anthropology of death. Covid-19. Health professionals. Palliative care. Cancer.

Illustration: Arlan Carlos

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Author Biography

Weverson Bezerra Silva

Doutorando em Antropologia, Universidade Federal da Paraíba.

Ilustração: Arlan Carlos

Published

2022-12-05

Issue

Section

Ethnographies about a sindemics: Covid-19 and interactions