Reprint
Pediatric Palliative Care
Edited by
February 2019
252 pages
- ISBN978-3-03897-350-8 (Paperback)
- ISBN978-3-03897-351-5 (PDF)
This book is a reprint of the Special Issue Pediatric Palliative Care that was published in
Biology & Life Sciences
Medicine & Pharmacology
Public Health & Healthcare
Summary
At least 20 million children worldwide would benefit from Pediatric Palliative Care (PPC) annually, and eight million children would need specialized PPC services. In the USA alone, more than 42,000 children, 0–19 years, die annually; fifty-five percent of them are infants younger than one year old. Interdisciplinary PPC is about matching treatment to patient goals and is considered specialized medical care for children with a serious illness. It is focused on relieving pain, distressing symptoms, and stress from a serious illness and is appropriate at any age and at any stage, together with curative treatment. The primary PPC goal is to improve the quality of life both for the child and for his/her family.<false,>Sadly, advances in the control of symptoms in children dying of life-limiting diseases have often not kept pace with treatment directed at curing the underlying disease. Data reveal that the majority of distressing symptoms in children with an advanced serious illness (such as pain, dyspnea and nausea/vomiting) are not treated, and, when treated, therapy is commonly ineffective. Emerging evidence shows that palliative care involvement results in improved quality of life, as well as prolongation of life.<false,>High-quality pediatric palliative care for children with serious illnesses is now an expected standard of medical care. However, there still remain significant barriers to achieving optimal care, related to lack of formal education, reimbursement issues, the emotional impact of caring for a dying child, and most importantly, the lack of interdisciplinary PPC teams with sufficient staffing.<false,>Fortunately, considerable advances have been made in recent years providing PPC around the globe both in resource-poor and resource-rich countries through care provided at children’s hospitals, outpatient palliative care clinics, palliative home care, and free-standing children’s hospice houses. This book, authored by leading authorities in the field, is dedicated to describing existing gaps, as well as the achievements made in clinical care, education, training, and research.
Format
- Paperback
License
© 2019 by the authors; CC BY-NC-ND license
Keywords
quality of life; pediatric palliative care; patient reported outcomes; bereavement; palliative care; parents; risk factors; resilience factors; pediatric; neurological impairment; feeding intolerance; retching; visceral hyperalgesia; central neuropathic pain; autonomic dysfunction; disability; pediatric palliative care; symptom management; pediatric palliative care; Latino health; chronic illness; children with medical complexity; resuscitation plan; advance care plan; paediatric palliative care; shared decision-making; ‘Total Pain’; paediatric palliative care; chronic pain; persistent pain; cerebral palsy; cognitive impairment; neurological impairment; technology; mobile applications; meditation; multimedia; children; palliative; relaxation; stress; sleep; pediatric; SNAKE; life-limiting; neurological; impairments; neonatal; palliative care; comfort care; pain; pediatrics; infant; children; adolescent; hospitals; inpatient; hospital-specific palliative care issues; pediatric palliative care; end-of-life care; life-limiting conditions; chronic disease; palliative care; paediatric/pediatric/children; low-resource settings; advocacy; education; access to medicines; palliative care; palliative medicine; terminal care; hospice care; metabolic diseases; inborn genetic diseases; social support; disease progression; symptom management; emotional support; pediatric palliative care; research methods; outcomes; compassionate extubation; psychosocial care; children; palliative care; advance care planning; terminal care; end of life; pediatric oncology; pediatric cancer; pediatric palliative care; communication; pediatric palliative care; quality of life; symptom management; hospice; patient-reported outcomes; mobile apps; pediatric palliative care; life-threatening illness; complex chronic illness; symptoms; experience; psychological; trauma; pediatric; palliative; Pop Up; discharge; inpatient; life-limiting; hospice; hospital; goals of care; pediatrics; palliative care; integrative medicine; symptom management; mind-body medicine; pain management; acupuncture; yoga; palliative care; special needs; parent; respite; life-limiting illness; caregiver; pediatric; psychosocial; stress; medically complex; pediatric palliative care; program development; barriers; hospice; myths; program implementation