Vivências de médicos veterinários diante da possibilidade de morte de seus pacientes

Abstract

The veterinarian's practice of small animals involves the possibility of loss of their patients and the way this happens to those involved. In situations of severe illness, the realization of euthanasia or the loss of its patient requires the professional to deal with the expectations and reactions of a family emotionally involved with the animal, as well as their own frustrations and feelings of impotence before death. In this context, the objective of this research was to investigate how the veterinarian who provides assistance to small animals, experiences situations that involve the possibility of death of their patient. To achieve this goal, the present research was composed of two studies. The first one consisted of an integrative review of the literature carried out in the Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, PsycINFO and PubMed databases, with the objective of analyzing how the relationship between the veterinarian and the care situations involving the possibility of death of patients are treated in scientific studies. A total of 21 articles were selected and there was a low scientific production related to the theme, especially in developing countries. It is perceived the possibility of death of the patients is challenging for the veterinarian's performance, since it requires the attendance of technical aspects, modulated by the singularities of the tutors. It has also been associated with conflicts, doubts and emotions that cause suffering. It is important to highlight the relevance of studies that investigate caregiving actions and support professionals. The second study aimed to understand the experiences of veterinarians linked to care situations involving the possibility of death of their patients, based on their professional performance. This is an empirical, qualitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study using phenomenological method and theoretical reference. Nine veterinarians of small animals who worked in veterinary medicine and performed their duties in a hospital and / or veterinary clinic with therapeutic resources for the treatment of critically ill patients in a medium-sized city in the interior of the state of São Paulo participated in the study. For data collection, a phenomenological interview was conducted, individually, audio-taped, containing the following guiding question: How do you describe your experience with care situations involving the possibility of the patient's death? The data were analyzed according to the phenomenological method proposed by Giorgi and interpreted in the light of the phenomenological ideas of Martin Heidegger. The results are divided into three themes: "Emotional repercussions of the veterinarian on the possibility of death of the animal", "Communication and personal connections" and "Experiences before euthanasia". These results reveal the human vulnerability of these professionals and suggest the need to improve vocational training. Thus, insofar as the first study synthesizes the state of the art of scientific production and the second study reveals the personal experiences of the professionals, the two studies complement each other by advancing both the understanding of the complexity experienced by veterinarians faced with the possibility of death of their the research gaps to be completed by future studies.