STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING PALLIATIVE CARE TO ORIGINAL POPULATIONS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Considering the multiple associations between the concepts of health and disease, and that Indigenous communities hold distinct perceptions of these concepts, death becomes a complex and unique process that should be addressed in a welcoming and respectful manner. It aims to analyze the strategies adopted by different countries to promote palliative care for Indigenous peoples. To this end, an electronic search of bibliographic material was conducted in the databases Biblioteca Regional de Medicina, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and the U.S. National Library of Medicine. To define the search terms, consultation was carried out in the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS), using the following terms: “palliative care”; “Indigenous peoples”; “original populations”; and “finitude.” After applying the exclusion criteria, 14 articles were included for analysis. In this way, it is observed that Canada, Australia, the United States, and New Zealand were the countries that most developed studies on the topic. According to a survey conducted in Australia, several barriers hinder access to these services among Indigenous peoples, including individual and family barriers, restricted access to remote areas, limited research, ineffective health policies, culturally inappropriate services, language barriers, and historical, cultural, and social issues related to dying, which allows us to conclude that there is precarious access to palliative care among certain Indigenous and Aboriginal populations, especially in rural areas, tribes, and villages.