title: Care to terminal patients. Perception of nurses from the intensive care unit of a hospital.
abstract: To identify the perception of nurses with regard to the process of providing care to patients in the context of hospice care.
  
  
  
  Qualitative study using the methodological framework Collective Subject Discourse. A total of 18 nursing professionals of the adult intensive care unit of a public hospital in São Paulo, Brazil were interviewed between June and August 2012.
  
  
  
  The process of providing care to terminal patients is permeated by negative, conflictive and mixed feelings. As regards communication, while the participants acknowledge its importance as a therapeutic resource, they also admit a lack of professional qualification.
  
  
  
  The interviewees have difficulties to deal with care provided to terminal patients. The qualification of these professionals needs to be improved, starting in the undergraduate program.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Estatal Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho UNESP-, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camila
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mussolin Tamaki
authors.affiliation: Universidad Estatal Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho UNESP-, Botucatu, SP, Brazil, silmeneguin@fmb.unesp.br.
authors.forename: Silmara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meneguin
authors.affiliation: Universidad Estatal Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho UNESP-, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rubia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aguiar Alencar
authors.affiliation: Universidad Estatal Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho UNESP-, Botucatu, SP, Brazil, claudia@fmb.unesp.br.
authors.forename: Claudia Helena
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Bronzatto Luppi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001938:Brazil; D003142:Communication; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology