Abstract:

Abstract Objective: to know the educational needs and challenges perceived by occupational therapists who work in palliative care in oncology. Methods: a quantitative-qualitative study carried out in 2018, through a sociodemographic questionnaire and semi-structured online interview, with interpretation by descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. Results: 18 professionals from the South, Southeast and Northeast regions of Brazil participated. There was a predominance of females (94.4%); half had training between 2010 and 2015; in universities in the Southeast region of the country (55.5%); with one to three years of work experience (55.5%), followed by three years (22.2%); feeling “unprepared” to work in palliative care (78.8%); and, the search for technical supervision occurred in 38.8%. Three categories emerged: Training in oncological palliative care during professional trajectory; Challenges during performance in oncological palliative care in the hospital setting; and Development of the professional category in palliative care. Conclusion: there was an increase in content on palliative care in training, although they did not guarantee an integral feeling of preparation, as well as the need to address topics related to early work with palliative patients, the use of systematized assessments, types of interventions and clinical reasoning, aspects related to death and dying, advance directives and on the professional challenge in continuing education and graduation in the Brazilian context, aiming to favor technical preparation and the feeling of competence.

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