Introduction

End-of-life care should be marked by the re-appraisal of the spiritual dimension.

Objective

This work sought to understand the role of spirituality in the lives of families with a loved one in end-of-life situation.

Materials and Methods

This qualitative research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with 15 relatives of patients with serious diseases cared for in the primary health care network in São Paulo, Brazil. The data were organized and analyzed according to the methodological figures of the Collective Subject Discourse technique.

Results

Spirituality represents a unique role for the families, as it helps to give meaning to life experiences, above all those directly involved with disease and death. However, they find no space to express those issues with the health professionals, with whom they should have a bond and co-responsibility for care based on integrality.

Discussion and Conclusions

These families recognize spirituality as a strengthening element against difficulties confronted with the illness, but strongly depend on the health staff's availability to increase their experience.

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