Abstract

GOUVEIA, Maria Folque  and  REIS-PINA, Paulo. The family physician and palliative care: the ‘ACERTAR’ method. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2023, vol.39, n.1, pp.84-90.  Epub Mar 30, 2023. ISSN 2182-5173.  https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v39i1.13255.

Family physicians (FPs) are responsible for providing longitudinal and continuous health care to the population. Due to the nature of their relationship with their patients/families, supported by trust and proximity, FPs are in the ideal position to offer palliative care (PC). However, different factors, such as lack of training, time, and guidelines, make it difficult for family physicians to provide PC. Moreover, FPs may struggle to define what is the appropriate method to provide the best care in a PC scenario. Here, we propose a method to clarify FPs’ role during home visits - the ‘ACERTAR’, an acrostic that highlights seven goals (and interventions) in home clinical care: Assess; Communicate; Empower; Review/Reduce; Treat; Anticipate and Refer. FPs have a vital role in the follow-up of palliative needs patients. We, therefore, intend to spread a guide that can help the FPs in the provision of care to patients with palliative needs.

Keywords : Family physicians; Primary health care; Palliative care.

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