INTEGRATION OF PALLIATIVE CARE INTO THE HEALTH CARE NETWORK: A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Palliative care is a healthcare approach focused on preventing and relieving the suffering of individuals facing serious, life-threatening, or life-limiting conditions, encompassing physical, psycho-emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions. This chapter aims to discuss, through a narrative literature review, the integration of palliative care into the Health Care Network (RAS), linking it to the framework of social determinants of health (SDH). PubMed, SciELO, and the Virtual Health Library (BVS) were consulted, along with national and international technical, theoretical, and regulatory documents; the search was updated in August 2026. The final corpus comprised 21 references, including 12 scientific articles and nine theoretical or institutional documents and works. The synthesis highlights that integrating palliative care across primary health care, specialized care, hospital care, home care, and emergency services is essential for ensuring continuity, timeliness, and comprehensiveness of care; however, this process remains affected by inequalities regarding income, education, race/color, territory, housing conditions, caregiver availability, and access to services and medications. In Brazil, the National Palliative Care Policy, established in 2024 and updated by regulatory acts in 2026, represents a significant advancement in organizing this type of care within the Unified Health System (SUS). The study concludes that consolidating a comprehensive and equitable palliative care network requires professional training, well-defined care pathways, integration across levels of care, family support, and efforts to address the social inequities that shape illness, care, and the dying process.