BACKGROUND: Very little research has been reported examining nonpharmacologic symptom management strategies for very young, hospitalized children receiving palliative care, and none has involved Reiki-a light touch therapy. OBJECTIVES: To determine…
BACKGROUND: Communication in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) between families and the health care team affects the family experience, caregiver psychological morbidity, and patient outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility of studying and…
INTRODUCTION: A growing number of children and young people are surviving severe acquired brain injuries due to advances in healthcare. However, many fail to emerge from coma and continue to live with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Diagnostic,…
BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing number of studies using photo-elicitation for data collection in qualitative research, there is a need to further explore its use among families of children and adolescents living with chronic illness. OBJECTIVE(S):…
Children with medical complexity (CMC) are patients with one or more complex chronic conditions dependent on medical technologies. In our unit (Pediatric Pulmonology and Respiratory Intermediate Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, "Bambino Gesù"…
BACKGROUND: Managing transition of adolescents/young adults with life-limiting conditions from children's to adult services has become a global health and social care issue. Suboptimal transitions from children's to adult services can lead to…
Data show that children are less severely affected with SARS-Covid-19 than adults; however, there have been a small proportion of children who have been critically unwell. In this systematic review, we aimed to identify and describe which underlying…
OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of palliative care (PC) on end-of-life (EoL) care and the place of death (PoD) in children, adolescents, and young adults with life-limiting conditions. METHOD(S): Eight online databases (PubMed, Medline, EMBASE,…
BACKGROUND: Research ethics committees are commonly perceived as a 'barrier' to research involving seriously ill children. Researchers studying seriously ill children often feel that committees view their applications more harshly compared to…
OBJECTIVES: To assess the ability of two illness severity scores, Pediatric Logistic Organ Dysfunction Score 2 and Pediatric Index of Mortality 3, in predicting PICU-acquired morbidity. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review conducted from April 2015 to…
BACKGROUND: Better tools are needed to diagnose and identify children at risk of clinical malnutrition. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare body composition (BC) and malnutrition screening tools (MSTs) for detecting malnutrition on admission; and examine…
BACKGROUND: Advance care planning for children with palliative care needs is an emotionally, legally and complex aspect of care, advocated as beneficial to children, families and health professionals. Evidence suggests healthcare professionals often…
Background: Most parents vividly recall the weeks, days, and moments preceding their child's death for years to come. Dissatisfaction with communication about their child's condition and lack of guidance can contribute to stress prior to a child's…
Background: Specialist paediatric palliative care services are promoted as an important component of palliative care provision, but there is uncertainty about their role for children with cancer. Aim(s): To examine the impact of specialist paediatric…
Oral health care is an integral component of interprofessional collaborative care for children and adolescents diagnosed with cancer. The current review highlights the phases of cancer therapy when dental interventions and palliative care are…
PURPOSE: Previous research shows that bereaved parents are at an increased risk for intense and prolonged grief responses. To offer effective support to parents during a child's cancer treatment and after their child's death, more knowledge is needed…
Background: In 2018, >75,000 children were newly affected by the diagnosis of advanced cancer in a parent. Unfortunately, few programs exist to help parents and their children manage the impact of advanced disease together as a family. The Enhancing…
Background: The "Promoting Resilience in Stress Management" intervention is a skills-based, early palliative care intervention with demonstrated efficacy in adolescents and young adults with cancer.
OBJECTIVE: To understand the perception of adolescents with cancer undergoing palliative cares about their illness process. METHOD: An exploratory and qualitative study, per formed at a federal public hospital specialized in oncology disease in Rio…
ImportanceThe associations of spiritual and religious factors with patient-reported outcomes among adolescents with cancer are unknown.ObjectiveTo model the association of spiritual and religious constructs with patient-reported outcomes of anxiety,…
Background: For children with cancer in palliative care, pain and worry are common and frequently under-managed, which negatively impacts quality of life (QOL). Massage therapy (MT) can lead to reduced pain in children with chronic illnesses.…
PURPOSE Adolescents and young adults (AYAs; age 15-39 years) with advanced cancer are a population in whom quality of life is uniquely affected because of their stage of life. However, training focused on palliative care for AYAs is not routinely…
Research is needed to examine new and innovative web-based intervention delivery methods that are feasible, cost-effective, and acceptable to children and their families to increase access to palliative care services in the home and community. Our…
BACKGROUND: Neonatal resuscitation is a life-saving intervention for birth asphyxia, a leading cause of neonatal mortality. Worldwide, four million neonate deaths happen annually, and birth asphyxia accounts for one million deaths. Improving…
Reiki is often used but not well studied in children. Yet, this gentle, light-touch therapy promotes relaxation and is appropriate for those receiving palliative care. This quasi-experimental pre-post mixed-methods 1-group pilot study examined the…
Intrahospital transport of a critically ill patient is often required to achieve a diagnostic and/or therapeutic objective. However, clinicians who recommend a procedure that requires transport are often not fully aware of the risks of transport.…
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate safety and pharmacokinetic parameters (PK) of medical cannabis in add-on for children and young adults with drug-resistant epilepsy. DESIGN, SETTING: Ten patients (4 females, 6 males, age 2.5-23.2 years) were enrolled in a…
BACKGROUND: There are few studies that assess the role of different nutritional assessment variables at pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admission in predicting clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To identify nutritional variables in the first 4 days…
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The family is a reliable and permanent source of support for every human being. It is the key link in the welfare system. The aim of the study is to assess parents' attitudes towards the occurrence of a difficult situation…
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 was declared a global health emergency. Since children are less than 1% of reported cases, there is limited information to develop evidence-based practice recommendations. The objective of this study was to rapidly gather expert…
Patient and public involvement (PPI) is important both in research and in quality improvement activities related to healthcare services . While PPI activities do not require formal ethical approval, they can raise a number of ethical concerns,…
In a society of diverse views, faiths and beliefs, what can paediatric palliative care contribute to our understanding of children's spirituality? By failing to recognise and respond to their spirituality in this work, we risk missing something of…
OBJECTIVES: Children with dependence on respiratory or feeding technologies are frequently admitted to the PICU, but little is known about their characteristics or outcomes. We hypothesized that they are at increased risk of critical illness-related…
Introduction: Adolescent palliative care is especially challenging because of complex developmental, social, clinical, and legal concerns. In adolescents with life-limiting illnesses, developmental tasks of normal adolescence such as developing an…
BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults undergoing heart transplantation experience risks of morbidity and mortality both pre- and post-transplant. To improve end-of-life care for this population, it is necessary to understand their medical and…
BACKGROUND: End-of-life (EOL) care is an important topic in critical care medicine, but EOL discussions with families can be difficult and stressful for intensivists. The aim of this study was to clarify the current practices and barriers facing…
Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme arylsulfatase A (ARSA). Symptoms include motor decline, developmental regression, decreased intellectual capabilities, and…
Adolescents who face life-limiting illness have unique developmental features and strong personal preferences around end of life (EOL) care. Understanding and documenting those preferences can be enhanced by practising narrative medicine. This paper…
Background: over the last 30 yrs, many studies have investigated long-term ventilatory support (LTVS), focusing primary on medical issues. Few researches have focused on social burden for families with a child in need of LTVS. Objectives: aim of the…
Objectives: * Discuss whether the Reiki intervention was feasible to implement with this population of very young hospitalized children receiving palliative care. * Discuss why parents thought the Reiki intervention was helpful to their child.…
