Loureiro, NatáliaAmado, João Manuel da CostaFragoso, Rosa Maria de Faria2018-06-262018-06-262014Loureiro, N., Amado, J., Fragosos, R. (2014). Cuidados paliativos: Identificação de necessidades em doentes de medicina interna. Revista Cuidados Paliativos, 1(2), 62-732183-3400http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/25107The prognosis is an important tool for clinical decision, allowing proper planning and allocation of health resources and avoiding diagnostic and therapeutic futility, especially in the acute hospital where the whole concept of healing. The aim of this study was the identification of the need for palliative care prior to admission or within the first 24 hours after admission, performed by internal medicine in deceased patients in the Internal Medicine Service of an Acute Hospital. The methodology used came from the analysis of the clinical records of patients admitted to hospital during the period January to March 2012. There was a total of 125 deaths, of which 49.6% have had at admission or within the first 24 hours of admission need of palliative care. Cardiovascular disease was the main defining criteria for palliative care. Only 1/3 of the patients had at admission explicit prediction while 25% had never any mention about the prognosis. The study showed that there is no concern about symptomatic control and communication of prognosis was not a relevant concern. The predominant attitude toward the therapeutic or diagnostic futility. We concluded that the delay in deciding the prognosis indicates mainly the lack of recognition of the role of palliative care in a hospital in acute and therefore the integration of palliative care can assist in the transition of the goals of prolonging life for a concept to improve the quality and the end of life.porPrognosisPalliative careInternal medicinejournal article