Slum compassionate community: expanding access to palliative care in Brazil.
Maria Gefé da Rosa Mesquita, Alexandre Ernesto Silva, Lívia Pereira Coelho and 3 others
PMID 37656988WHAT IT FOUND
In two Rio de Janeiro slums, a nurse-led project used local volunteers and community gatekeepers to identify patients for home-based palliative care.
This experience report describes the implementation steps and network building, but reports no patient outcomes.
Key findings
01The project identified local leaders in residents associations and the Catholic Church as gateways to find patients and recruit volunteer caregivers.
02Eligibility for palliative care was assessed using a custom instrument combining standard symptom and functional scales with data on housing, income, and caregiver availability.
03The initiative relied on unpaid volunteers from across Brazil due to a lack of funding, with support from local community members acting as intermediaries between patients and the health team.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is an experience report, not a study with a control group or formal outcome measures. The narrative reflects only the perspective of the project coordinators (three professors and one physician), excluding the voices of patients, families, and other volunteers. No data is reported on the number of patients assessed, the prevalence of symptoms, or the impact of the intervention on care access or quality. The project lacked funding and relied on unpaid labor, which may limit the generalizability of the model to other settings.
Declared interests
The authors declare this as a professional experience report. No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest are listed in the provided text, though it is noted as a university extension project without staff funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this report as evidence that the Compassionate Community model improves patient outcomes or palliative care access. It is a descriptive account of implementation steps and challenges, with no data on effectiveness or patient results.