The Meaning of Life and Religious Coping in the Fight Against Cancer: A Study with Oncology Patients in Brazil in Light of Viktor Frankl's Theory.

This study aimed to describe the perception of the meaning of life and coping strategies of 19 patients with cancer at a public hospital in Brazil. This is descriptive and qualitative research that used Amedeo Giorgi's phenomenological model, and the interpretation was performed in light of Viktor Frankl's theory. Two themes have emerged: (1) the perception of the meaning of life in the experience with cancer and (2) religious coping to fight the disease. This study showed that revealing the meaning of life in the cancer experience contributes to better treatment compliance, a more favorable view of the future and better quality of life. On the other hand, religious coping is the strategy most used by patients who believe in God, showing a greater state of psychological and spiritual well-being.

Suffering experiences of people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A meta-ethnographic study.

This meta-ethnography had the objectives of identifying, evaluating, and summarizing the findings of qualitative studies regarding the suffering experiences of people undergoing chemotherapy, as well as developing an explanatory conceptual structure regarding what affects these experiences. A systematic literature review was carried out, covering the past 10 years, in the following databases: CINAHL, Embase, Medline, LILACS and Scopus. By using meta-ethnographic synthesis methods, the following themes were found: the pain of loss; evaluating, measuring, and neutralizing the threat; and social contours of suffering. The experience of living with cancer and undergoing chemotherapy was synthesized into a theoretical-explanatory model with a structure that resembles barbed-wire loops. The model expresses people's suffering experiences as marked by the feeling of loss, restraint of emotions, and resilience. While transcendent movements broke the cycle of suffering, resilience emerged as a learning experience that made patients more resistant to the pain of loss. The results indicated a complex and diverse set of factors that influence suffering, which confirmed that experiences are individual, comprehensive, and continuously reinterpreted.

The Medical Healing of Souls: a strategy for welcoming post-pandemic mental health.

OBJECTIVE: to reflect on the applicability of the Medical Healing of Souls (MHS) by health professionals as a welcoming strategy in post-pandemic mental health. METHODS: a theoretical and reflective study, based on Viktor Frankl's philosophy, based on the book "The Doctor and the Soul, From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy" and scientific literature. RESULTS: the study was structured in two discursive approaches: MHS in the field of health; The applicability of MHS in post-pandemic mental health care. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: MHS can be used in mental health care, in health emergencies, promoting a more humane performance of health professionals, facilitating the integration of inevitable suffering into a meaningful life.

Meaning of life as perceived by nurses at work in oncology palliative care: a phenomenological study.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the meaning of life as perceived by nurses at work in oncology palliative care. METHOD: This is a qualitative study, with a phenomenological approach, based on the theoretical-philosophical framework by Viktor Emil Frankl. It was developed with nurses in a unit specialized in oncology palliative care located in the city of Rio de Janeiro and used phenomenological interviews. Data were processed using the phenomenological method by Amedeo Giorgi. RESULTS: Thirty-four nurses participated in the study. The study conveys an existential message to nurses through selftranscendence. Through their work, they represent their own identity, which is directly impacted by the way they perceive freedom and responsibility in the face of actions taken. They build their reality and make work viable as a source of life. The care provided is no longer just a task to be qualified as a solidary, relational, existential, dynamic, and temporal issue. CONCLUSION: The experience in a scenario of life finitude allows these professionals to experience an authentic encounter with their self, the awakening of values giving meaning to their existence, and self-transcendence, deeply contributing to society through a more human, comprehensive, and quality assistance.

Distress and Spiritual Well-Being in Brazilian Patients Initiating Chemotherapy during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Social distancing and the priority given to COVID-19 patients in health services, which caused postponement of appointments and cancer treatment, may have triggered unprecedented levels of distress in cancer patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of distress and the levels of spiritual well-being of people initiating chemotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying the factors associated with distress, and determining if there is a relationship between distress and spiritual well-being. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 91 Brazilians. Data were collected by applying the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Distress Thermometer and Problem List for Patients. The prevalence of distress was 59.5%, and the average score of spiritual well-being was 106.54 (±9.06). Emotional issues were the most reported by patients with distress. The Poisson regression showed that male sex (PR = 0.588; 95% CI 0.392-0.881), age (PR = 0.985; 95% CI 0.973-0.996), and spiritual well-being score were predictors of distress (PR = 0.971; 95% CI 0.946-0.996). These findings indicate that distress relief involves implementation of public health programs capable of integrating spiritual interventions into cancer care.

The Importance of Spirituality for Women Facing Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Qualitative Study.

Breast cancer remains significantly distressing and produces profound changes in women's lives. Spirituality is an important resource at the time of diagnosis and treatment decisions. This qualitative study aimed to explore the spiritual experience of women diagnosed with breast cancer and the considerations of spirituality in health care using the existential phenomenology approach. The sampling procedure was intentional, based on the study's exclusion and inclusion criteria. Forty women participated in individual interviews. The research was conducted in the outpatient clinic of a reference federal university hospital in South-Eastern Brazil. Throughout the research process, ethical principles were carefully followed. Five themes were identified: (1) meaning of spirituality-source of spiritual strength, (2) well-being in the relationship with God, (3) well-being in religious fellowship, (4) values and purpose of life-meaning in life, and (5) spirituality as a foundation to continue. Respect for patient's spiritual values was recognised as a fundamental principle in health care. Spirituality was revealed as a source of support during the complex process of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Thus, health care professionals that value and encourage spirituality are needed, favouring better patient response to the diagnosis.

[Advances and challenges of nursing in the scientific production on psoriasis]. / Avanços e desafios da enfermagem na produção científica sobre psoríase.

The psoriasis, chronic disease with uncertain cause, affects 1 to 3% of world population, produces great psychological impact and changes in quality of life, a challenging reality. The objective is to analyze the scientific production of nursing on psoriasis, examining the approaches and contributions to care. It's a bibliographic study carried on virtual database Medline using the terms psoriasis and nursing. Of the 21 articles selected, in 1997/2008, 19% focus on the pathophysiology and differential diagnosis, 48% treatment, 28% psychological aspects and 42% in nursing care. The rescue of the scientific knowledge increases the challenge of maximizing the scientific production about this subject, bringing significant contributions to advances to a more holistic intervention and higher quality with this clientele.

Distress and the religious and spiritual coping of Brazilians living with cancer: A cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: To analyze the relationship between the subjective experience of distress and the use of religious and/or spiritual coping by adult chemotherapy patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional study conducted in 2018, with 100 patients undergoing chemotherapy. The data were collected through three tools: a characterization form, the Inventory of Subjective Distress Experiences in Illness, and the Brief Religious/Spiritual Coping Scale. The analysis was based on descriptive and inferential statistics, using the Spearman correlation test (p < 0.05), ANOVA, the Kruskall-Wallis test, and negative binomial regression. RESULTS: A low level of overall, physical, existential, psychological and sociorelational distress was observed. The dimension of positive distress experiences, however, was above the intermediate level in the scale. With respect to coping, use of positive and negative facets was moderate and low, respectively. Very weak positive correlations were noted between negative coping and physical, existential, and overall distress. The regression analysis indicated a higher risk of distress with increasing age and greater negative religious coping. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample, higher means were found in the dimension of positive distress experiences; negative coping, although utilized less, had greater potential to exacerbate distress after adjustment for age, in contrast to that expected for positive coping, which did not manifest significant effects in alleviating it.

Health in the school: perceptions of being adolescent.

OBJECTIVES: to understand adolescents' perceptions on school health. METHODS: qualitative and descriptive research grounded on Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, which was developed with 90 adolescent students from a federal school of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Data were produced by gathering answers to the following question: what is your perception on school health? Those who chose to write their answer to the guiding question deposited the manuscripts in polls. RESULTS: school health is linked to hygienist practices and to the hegemonic assistentialist model. Nevertheless, we assigned senses and meanings to the practice of physical activity and health education by integrating and expanding behavioral strategies and healthy habits. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: a healthy school environment implies the protagonism of adolescents in school health promotion actions.

Nursing process for a patient with needle phobia: a case study.

OBJECTIVES: to report a clinical case of needle phobia which culminated in cardiac arrest and describe the outcome of a care plan based on fear and anxiety diagnoses, using the Roy adaptation model as the framework. METHODS: case study conducted in a chemotherapy outpatient unit in Rio de Janeiro. Care was guided by the nursing process and the use of instruments to assess the venous network, anxiety and fear. RESULTS: the Roy adaptation model enabled proposing nursing interventions that allowed the study subject to adapt to the external and internal stimuli triggered by vasovagal syndrome. The instruments indicated the choice of an adequate semi-implanted venous access device and led to improved levels of anxiety and fear. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: after carrying out the nursing activities, anxiety was reduced, and the patient achieved greater control over fear.

Spirituality and meaning of life in nursing education: report of experience in teaching.

OBJECTIVES: To report the experience in teaching internship in the elective discipline "Spirituality in the Health Field" of the curriculum of the graduation course in Nursing of Universidade Federal Fluminense. METHODS: This is a case report with descriptive-reflexive approach of the class "the meaning of life as spiritual care strategy in the nursing practice". For the elaboration of the discipline, a lesson plan and active methodologies were used. RESULTS: The strategy used for preparation of the class allowed transmitting and constructing knowledge objectively. The reflections disclosed along with students showed the importance of the meaning of life as spiritual care in nursing practices for the health professional and for the act of being cared for. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The class was considered a successful experience, as the theme proposed was essential for the theoretical-reflective construction about spirituality and meaning of life as a form of care that transcends technical procedures.

Health in the school: perceptions of being adolescent.

OBJECTIVE: To understand adolescents' perceptions on school health. METHOD: Qualitative and descriptive research grounded on Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, which was developed with 90 adolescent students from a federal school of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Data were produced by gathering answers to the following question: what is your perception on school health? Those who chose to write their answer to the guiding question deposited the manuscripts in polls. RESULTS: School health is linked to hygienist practices and to the hegemonic assistentialist model. Nevertheless, we assigned senses and meanings to the practice of physical activity and health education by integrating and expanding behavioral strategies and healthy habits. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: a healthy school environment implies the protagonism of adolescents in school health promotion actions.

Health as a right and the care of the self: conception of nursing professionals.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze health as a right from the perspective of care of the self, in the conception of nursing professionals. METHOD: Qualitative study, carried out in a Federal Hospital of the city of Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of 10 nurses and 20 nursing technicians through interviews recorded, transcribed and analyzed in light of the Discursive Textual Analysis. RESULTS: Two categories emerged: Health as the right of professionals and their "non-right" to health; and Care of the self for the health professional: work and torture. CONCLUSION: There are many challenges to overcome, such as the search for satisfactory public funding, the need to improve the quality of Primary Health Care services, the implementation of a care model compatible with the country's demographic and epidemiological situation; all professionals need an effective endorsement for care of the self, such as their knowledge of the right to health.

Perception of women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: a comprehensive analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively analyze the perception of women with breast cancer on the experience of undergoing chemotherapy. METHOD: This was a qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study, supported by the Merleau-Ponty philosophy. It was conducted in a chemotherapy outpatient clinic with 20 participants who completed a phenomenological interview. RESULTS: The phenomenological data analysis demonstrated that the perception of women about the experience of chemotherapy is about change, not only of the physical body, but of their identity, and that it considers existential aspects. Three categories emerged from the experience of alopecia, fatigue, and spirituality, respectively: the body itself, the current and habitual body, and transcendence. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: Bodily changes, and the existential implications perceived by the women in this study, analyzed from the Merleau-Ponty perspective, makes it possible to consider body concept, and provides support for humanized care based on singularity and the socio-cultural context.

Nurses' experiences in the care of high-risk newborns: a phenomenological study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe nurses' experience in the care of high-risk newborns. METHOD: This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, based on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology and performed at the Fernando Magalhães Maternity Hospital in the state of Rio de Janeiro, through interviews with 30 nurses who work in neonatal care, according to the phenomenological thinking of Maurice Merleau- Ponty. RESULTS: Three categories emerged: "experienced body of the nurse practitioner on the high-risk newborn"; "experienced world of the nurse practitioner on the high-risk newborn"; and "time spent by the nurse practitioner with the high-risk newborn". FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The study allowed us to describe, through the participants' speeches, that the care of the high-risk newborn is broad, that is, objective, subjective and carried out with advanced technologies, their experiences and scientific improvement are composed of shared practice and theory with the family, professionals and beginners in the neonatal universe, favoring a differentiated and humanized care.

Impact of venous ulcers on patients' quality of life: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze knowledge gathered about the impact of venous ulcers on patients' quality of life. METHOD: Systematic bibliographic review study with an integrative approach. Databases of MEDLINE, LILACS, IBECS, CINAHL Complete, Web of Science, Scopus, and CUIDEN Plus were used for selection with the PICOT guiding criteria, through the DeCS and MeSH: adult, aged, varicose ulcer, and quality of life, in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. The inclusion criteria were: full original articles available in the databases selected with adherence to the theme in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, published from 2007 to 2016. RESULTS: The sample included 14 national and international articles with different methodological approaches and investigative contexts, published from 2012 to 2016. CONCLUSION: Chronic venous ulcers act on patients' bio-psycho-social-spiritual and socioeconomic spheres, having a negative impact on their quality of life.

Application of Merleau-Pontyan perspective on the physical and psychological implications of venous ulcers.

OBJECTIVE: to verify the application of the Merleau-Pontyan perspective on the physical and psychological implications of chronic venous ulcers in the existence of people who experience the disease. METHOD: a qualitative study, of the descriptive phenomenological type, developed with 36 patients. The field of investigation was the Outpatient Clinic of Wound Repair of the Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro. The collection occurred from June to December 2016, through a phenomenological interview. RESULTS: the experiences inherent in people who have venous ulcers pass through the world and "return" to the body itself, reflecting on the biopsychosocial aspects and the sensitivity left on the being. CONCLUSION: the biological characteristics of the subject affected by the venous ulcer have repercussions on their physical aspect, promoting influences along with the emotional and social changes originating from the clinical picture on the social aspects and consequently reverberating on the quality of life of this individual.

Gerontological contributions to the care of elderly people in long-term care facilities.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze Brazilian scientific productions from the last 11 years which show the contributions of nursing to elderly people in long-term care facilities. METHOD: This is an integrative literature review. The search took place in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) in the BDENF and LILACS databases and the SCIELO virtual library, between June and October 2016, using the keyword long-term care facility and the descriptors nursing and geriatrics. RESULTS: Eleven studies were selected, published 2005 and 2016, with various methodological approaches that enabled discussion of the proposed objective. CONCLUSION: The contributions of nursing to institutionalized elderly people were linked to health promotion measures, as well as simple interventions, such as listening, interacting, offering recreation and helping in psychoaffective relationships. These activities contributed to raising the self-esteem of the individuals.

The face-to-face encounter in indigenous health care: a perspective in Lévinas.

OBJECTIVE: To reflect on the sensitive behaviors of indigenous healthcare professionals based on the philosophy of Emmanuel Lévinas, to ratify completeness, equity, and humanity. METHOD: reflective study. REFLECTION: Studies have identified inadequacies in meeting the indigenous singularities. In the hospital and outpatient settings, they are diluted in the search for care. The difficulty of the professionals to admit them generates conflicts and non-adherence of indigenous individuals to treatments that disregard their care practices. In Lévinas, consciousness requires, "a priori," sensitivity to access the Infinity on the Face of the Other, which in the face-to-face encounters is presented to the Self as radical Alterity, proposing an Ethical relationship through transcendence. The freedom of the Self as to the Other is finite, as the Self cannot possess the Other, and infinite for its responsibility for the Other. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: The Self builds essence and existence in responsibility. In the Ethics of Alterity, in Lévinas, reflections are proposed that influence sensitive behaviors.

The Medical Healing of Souls: a strategy for welcoming post-pandemic mental health / La Cura Médica de Almas: una estrategia para acoger la salud mental pospandemia / A Cura Médica de Almas: uma estratégia de acolhimento em saúde mental pós-pandemia

ABSTRACT Objective: to reflect on the applicability of the Medical Healing of Souls (MHS) by health professionals as a welcoming strategy in post-pandemic mental health. Methods: a theoretical and reflective study, based on Viktor Frankl's philosophy, based on the book "The Doctor and the Soul, From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy" and scientific literature. Results: the study was structured in two discursive approaches: MHS in the field of health; The applicability of MHS in post-pandemic mental health care. Final considerations: MHS can be used in mental health care, in health emergencies, promoting a more humane performance of health professionals, facilitating the integration of inevitable suffering into a meaningful life.

RESUMEN Objetivo: reflexionar sobre la aplicabilidad de la Cura Médica de Almas (CMA) por parte de los profesionales de la salud como estrategia de acogida en la salud mental pospandemia. Métodos: estudio teórico y reflexivo, basado en la filosofía de Viktor Frankl, a partir del libro "The Doctor and the Soul, From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy" y literatura científica. Resultados: el estudio se estructuró en dos enfoques discursivos: CMA en el campo de la salud; La aplicabilidad de la CMA en la atención de la salud mental pospandemia. Consideraciones finales: la CMA puede ser utilizada en la atención a la salud mental, en emergencias de salud, promoviendo una actuación más humana del profesional de la salud, facilitando la integración del sufrimiento inevitable a una vida con sentido.

RESUMO Objetivo: refletir sobre a aplicabilidade da Cura Médica de Almas (CMA) por profissionais de saúde como estratégia de acolhimento em saúde mental pós-pandemia. Métodos: estudo teórico e reflexivo, fundamentado na filosofia de Viktor Frankl, baseado no livro "The Doctor and the Soul, From Psychotherapy to Logotherapy" e literatura científica. Resultados: o estudo foi estruturado em dois enfoques discursivos: A CMA no campo da saúde; A aplicabilidade da CMA no acolhimento em saúde mental pós-pandemia. Considerações finais: a CMA pode ser usada na atenção em saúde mental, em emergências sanitárias, promovendo uma atuação do profissional de saúde mais humanizada, facilitando a integração do sofrimento inevitável em uma vida com sentido.