Palliative Care in the Process of Human Terminality: Integrative review

Objectives: to characterize the scientific production on Palliative Care in the process of human terminality in the Health field, from 2007 to 2016. Methods: integrative review of the literature conducted in September and October 2016, available from the Virtual Health Library through the electronic databases: SciELO, LILACS and BDENF. The guiding question was: What is the characterization of the scientific production on Palliative Care in the process of the human terminality disseminated in online journals in the Health field, from 2007 to 2016? The study sample consisted of 27 publications related to the investigated topic, using the descriptors "palliative care and terminality". The analyzed data were grouped and presented in figures. Results: from the selected publications, two thematic categories emerged: Palliative care to the terminal patient with an emphasis on humanization and Assistance to the terminal patient in palliative care. Conclusion: this review verified that the production is incipient, and that technical and humanized actions guide the practice of palliative care.