Facial paralysis and quality of life: a critical review of literature in the scope of interprofessional work

ABSTRACT Concern about the quality of life seeks the appreciation of it in a broader movement than controlling symptoms, decreasing mortality rate or increasing lifespan. In this context, the quality of life of individuals affected by facial paralysis, a common disease in the world, is inserted with no distinction of gender or age. The integrated work of professionals can enhance the healthcare process thus generating changes in the treatment towards the patient's quality of life. This study was carried out through electronic search in the databases of Pubmed, via the National Center for Biothecnology Information (NCBI); Lilacs (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences), and SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online). A search tool was offered by the National Library of Medicine, by means of which the combination of the descriptors facial paralysis, quality of life, health workers, interprofessional relationship, cooperative behavior, patient care team was performed in a varied way in order to detect the largest possible number of publications. Evidence showed up few studies regarding to a relation among all addressed words. In general, the literature review indicated that the interprofessional work can favor the resizing of the relations among different contents, thus contributing to the overcoming of knowledge fragmentation. The interprofessional work is reckoned to be essential for the development of a workforce in the scope of which professionals work together in order to properly assist the integral healthcare.