Building paths towards death

A propósito da publicação, prevista para breve, de um livro colectivo, em Inglaterra, o qual tenho o gosto de coordenar, em parceria com José Resende, deixo aqui parte de um capítulo escrito por mim, na sequência do projecto de investigação, financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Building paths to death: an analysis of everyday work in palliative care. Talvez possa suscitar a curiosidade e o interesse de potenciais leitores(as).

In this chapter (...), we address the hospital careers of illness which characterise the end-of-life of many during their aging process. The hospital careers of illness include the different experiences that people undergo in their relations with hospitals and healthcare professionals. For example, some patients repeatedly return to the same hospital infirmary. When this happens, the healthcare teams might react differently to the way they react when a “newcomer” arrives. The extent of the patient’s familiarity with the hospital can also influence his reactions during the path towards death. One aspect of the effect of careers of this type in terminal situations is the conception of time, for example, in the acceptance or non-acceptance of death. These careers can exert considerable importance in end-of-life processes, affecting the interaction around the terminal patient and organisation of his terminal care.