At the End of Life: Pediatric Palliative Care Can Make a Difference in Caring for the Child and Family
agitation; anxiety; cancer patient; care behavior; child; conference abstract; controlled study; demography; dyspnea; fear; female; hospital mortality; human; intensive care unit; irritability; leukemia; major clinical study; male; middle income country; pain; palliative therapy; pediatric patient; quasi experimental study; retrospective study; school child; seizure; skill; social needs; terminal care; ward
Background and Aims: WHO defines pediatric palliative care as the active total care of the child's body, mind and spirit, which also involves giving support to the family, the aim of this study is to describe the endof-life care of children with cancer during the end-of-life period who receive general palliative care or pediatric palliative care in low- and middle-income countries. Method(s): We conducted a retrospective quasi-experimental study between January 2013 and December 2020 with deceased pediatric cancer patients. Demographic and clinical variables were collected to describe end-of-life care received before (2013-2017) by general palliative care team and after (2018-2020) the creation of a pediatric palliative care team Results: A total of 180 pediatric patients were evaluated at the end of life (100 between 2013-2017 and 80 between 2018-2020). The median age was 11 years, regardless of sex. Half of the patients had a diagnosis of leukemia (49.8%), 52.7% receive palliative treatment for their oncological condition. Regarding symptoms, 72 hours before death, pain treatment was documented for 52.2% of the patients. Other signs and symptoms, such as dyspnea, seizures, agitation, and irritability, were present, with no differences between groups; however, it was noted that during PPC interventions, there was a significant reduction in anxiety or fear of end of life, we observed a greater number of interventions by the psychosocial professionals and also there was an increase in the number of patients who died in the hospital ward and a decrease in the number of patients who died in the intensive care unit. Conclusion(s): Pediatric palliative care requires special knowledge and skills, the provision of PPC for children with cancer allows patients and their families to receive support that alleviates the physical, emotional and social needs that arise from a life-limiting illness and finally receive high-quality end-of-life care.
Cuervo M; Garcia X; Molina K; Claros A; Bolanos J; Alvarez T; Cleves D
Pediatric Blood and Cancer
2022
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.29952" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/pbc.29952</a>
Cultivating Gratitude in Bereaved Families: Description of the Impact of the Bereavement Workshop on Families of Deceased Patients in the Pediatric Palliative Care Program
active listening; bereavement; butterfly; child; conference abstract; coping behavior; genetic transcription; grief; group therapy; human; learning; music therapy; nonhuman; palliative therapy; perception; qualitative research; quantitative analysis; ritual; writing
Background and Aims: Grief in parents has been described as a very intense long-lasting experience, characterized by deep sadness, and social isolation, therefore, the recommendation of scientific societies in pediatrics is to provide bereavement care to parents and relatives of deceased children who have previously been cared for by health professionals. In this study, a bereavement workshop for parents is proposed as an intervention strategy, providing accompaniment to the families of deceased patients who received pediatric palliative care (PPC). Method(s): We conducted a quantitative and qualitative study in a focus group of parents of deceased children who participated in a bereavement workshop. The intervention consisted of a bereavement workshop, guided by the multidisciplinary PPC team, in which 4 activities were developed: group psychotherapy, music therapy, gratitude activity, symbolic ritual of delivery of butterfly. The gratitude activity consisted of motivating the families to express their gratitude by writing on cards with phrases that encourage reflection: during this process I am grateful for., I thank my child or family member for. . . , I thank the pediatric palliative care program for. . .; the cards were transcribed into a database constructed for this study and analyzed by 4 evaluators, thematic categories were assigned to each reflective sentence. Result(s): 60 families received the personalized letter of condolences with invitation to the workshop, 23 families attended the workshop. From the gratitude activity, families made 49 thank you cards, the following categories were highlighted: Communication, Hope, compassion, acceptance, humanization, learning, gratitude, active listening, coping strategies, regards, faith and humanization Conclusion(s): Strategies that favor adequate emotional management of the grieving process should be promoted. This study reflects the perceptions of parents attending a bereavement workshop. It highlights the gratitude, feelings and reflections of the family members during the health process and the death of the child while receiving accompaniment by a pediatric palliative care team.
Cuervo M; Devia A; Pereira L; Alvarez T; Molina K; Bolanos J; Correa I; Garcia X
Pediatric Blood and Cancer
2022
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/pbc.299522" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/pbc.299522</a>