Reflections on tanatology for healthcare professionals working in intensive care: an integrative review

To identify in the scientific literature the importance of the studies of tanatology in the training of health professionals to work in intensive care. Materials and methods: This is an integrative literature review study, searching the LILACS, SciELO and PubMed databases. Inclusion criteria were full original articles available in full, in Portuguese and / or English, having some relationship with the study of tanatology and the academic or professional view of death and palliative care, published from 2010 to 2018. Results: The sample consisted of five articles and the synthesis of the studies selected in the databases were grouped based on the variables author / year / country / journal, database, title, type of study, professionals involved, results and conclusions. The discussion was addressed in three topics: Curriculum matrix and implications in dealing with death in the professional environment; Feeling reflected in the professionals; Teacher preparation and pedagogical strategies. Final considerations: the findings reflect a deficit in the health professionals' academic education regarding the study of tanatology, which reinforces the detachment attitude and the cold behavior resulting from the stress and insecurity of the daily deal with death, a fact that is so recurrent in women ICUs.