title: [Structuring a palliative care service in Brazil: experience report].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In Brazil, palliative care (PC) is not properly structured and that reality transforms this theme in a public health problem; therefore, initiatives become relevant in this context. This paper aims to share the experience that occurred in an oncology referral hospital in the State of Maranhão and present initiatives that helped in the development of PC Service.
  The hospital had an outpatient Pain and PC Service, but without specialized beds. The terminally ill patients stayed in common wards, which caused much unrest. A sensitization process was initiated in the hospital through initiatives, such as a photo contest called Flashes of Life and a ward called Room of Dreams, designed in partnership with the architecture course at the Universidade Estadual do Maranhão. The process culminated in the granting of wards to the PC and in the commitment of the Foundation, sponsor of the hospital, to run the project.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This experience was a reproducible local initiative for the establishment of PC in a cancer hospital. Local initiatives are valuable in Brazil because they favor a significant number of patients and show its effectiveness in practice to governments and society. To structure a PC service, it is essential to establish priorities that include the assignment of drugs for management of symptoms, humanization, multidisciplinarity, sensitization and education of professionals.
authors.affiliation: Disciplina de Anestesiologia, Dor e Cuidados Paliativos da Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil; Programa de Pós-Graduação da Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil. Electronic address: jbgarcia@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: João Batista Santos
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil; Liga Acadêmica de Dor da Universidade Federal do Maranhão, São Luís, MA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Rayssa Fiterman
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Universidade Ceuma, São Luís, MA, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sara Fiterman
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Lima
keywords: Cancer; Cuidados paliativos; Câncer; Palliative care; Relato; Report