Supporting Pediatric Patients and Their Families at the End of Life: Perspectives From Bereaved Parents
Academic Medical Centers; Anticipatory Guidance; Bereavement; Chi Square Test; Child; Childhood Neoplasms; Communication; Data Analysis Software; Decision Making; Descriptive Statistics; Family; Funding Source; Health Resource Utilization; Midwestern United States; Parental Attitudes – Evaluation; Patient Preference; Professional-Family Relations; Professional-Patient Relations; Psychosocial; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Record Review; Retrospective Design; Shared; Support; Terminal Care – In Infancy and Childhood
Background: Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children in the United States. It is imperative to optimize measures to support patients and families facing the end of a child's life. This study asked bereaved parents to reflect on their child's end-of-life care to identify which components of decision-making, supportive services, and communication were helpful, not helpful, or lacking. Methods: An anonymous survey about end-of-life experiences was sent to families of children treated at a single institution who died of a malignancy between 2010 and 2017. Results: Twenty-eight surveys were returned for a 30.8% response rate. Most of the bereaved parents (61%) reported a desire for shared decision-making; this was described by 52% of families at the end of their child's life. There was a statistically significant association between how well death went and whether the parental perception of actual decision-making aligned with desired decision-making (P =.002). Families did not utilize many of the supportive services that are available including psychology and psychiatry (only 22% used). Respondents felt that additional services would have been helpful. Conclusions: Health care providers should strive to participate in decision-making models that align with the preferences of the patient and family and provide excellent communication. Additional resources to support families following the death of a child should be identified for families or developed and funded if a gap in available services is identified.
Sedig LK; Spruit JL; Paul TK; Cousino MK; McCaffery H; Pituch K; Hutchinson R
American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine
2020
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/10.1177/1049909120922973" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1177/1049909120922973</a>
Parent-Reported Symptoms and Medications Used Among Children With Severe Neurological Impairment
Infant; Child; Comorbidity; Female; Male; Child Preschool; Adolescence; Data Analysis Software; Human; Confidence Intervals; Descriptive Statistics; Record Review; Health Resource Utilization; Cross Sectional Studies; Funding Source; Scales; Severity of Illness; Central Nervous System Agents -- Therapeutic Use; Nervous System Diseases -- Epidemiology -- In Adolescence; Nervous System Diseases -- Epidemiology -- In Infancy and Childhood; Nervous System Diseases -- Symptoms; Peripheral Nervous System Agents -- Therapeutic Use; Polypharmacy
Key Points: Question: In children with severe neurological impairment (SNI) who cannot self-report, can comprehensive parent-reported symptom assessments inform medication use? Findings: In this cross-sectional study of 100 children with SNI and polypharmacy, parents reported that children experienced multiple concurrent high-distress symptoms, notably irritability (65.0%), insomnia (55.0%), and pain (54.0%). Although higher symptom burdens were associated with increasing polypharmacy, opportunities existed to optimize pharmacotherapy; for example, among 54.0% of children with pain, only 61.0% were prescribed an analgesic. Meaning: Comprehensive parent-reported symptom data paired with medication data could help clinicians identify targets for personalized symptom management, including underrecognized or undertreated symptoms. This cross-sectional study examines whether higher global symptom scores are associated with use of more medications and assesses associations between specific symptoms and medications among children with severe neurological impairment. Importance: Children with severe neurological impairment (SNI) often take multiple medications to treat problematic symptoms. However, for children who cannot self-report symptoms, no system exists to assess multiple symptoms and their association with medication use. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of 28 distinct symptoms, test whether higher global symptom scores (GSS) were associated with use of more medications, and assess the associations between specific symptoms and medications. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study was conducted between April 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, using structured parent-reported symptom data paired with clinical and pharmacy data, at a single-center, large, hospital-based special health care needs clinic. Participants included children aged 1 to 18 years with SNI and 5 or more prescribed medications. Data analysis was performed from April to June 2020. Exposure: During routine clinical visits, parent-reported symptoms were collected using the validated 28-symptom Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) and merged with clinical and pharmacy data. Main Outcomes and Measures: Symptom prevalence, counts, and GSS (scored 0-100, with 100 being the worst) were calculated, and the association of GSS with medications was examined. To evaluate associations between symptom-medication pairs, the proportion of patients with a symptom who used a medication class or specific medication was calculated. Results: Of 100 patients, 55.0% were boys, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 9 (5-12) years, 62.0% had 3 or more complex chronic conditions, 76.0% took 10 or more medications, and none were able to complete the MSAS themselves. Parents reported a median (IQR) of 7 (4-10) concurrent active symptoms. The median (IQR) GSS was 12.1 (5.4-20.8) (range, 0.0-41.2) and the GSS was 9.8 points (95% CI, 5.5-14.1 points) higher for those with worse recent health than usual. Irritability (65.0%), insomnia (55.0%), and pain (54.0%) were the most prevalent symptoms. Each 10-point GSS increase was associated with 12% (95% CI, 4%-19%) higher medication counts, adjusted for age and complex chronic condition count. Among the 54.0% of children with reported pain, 61.0% were prescribed an analgesic. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that children with SNI reportedly experience substantial symptom burdens and that higher symptom scores are associated with increased medication use. Paired symptom-medication data may help clinicians identify targets for personalized symptom management, including underrecognized or undertreated symptoms.
Feinstein JA; Feudtner C; Blackmer AB; Valuck RJ; Fairclough DL; Holstein J; Gregoire LA; Samay S; Kempe A
JAMA Network Open
2020
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/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.29082" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.29082</a>
Supporting Pediatric Patients and Their Families at the End of Life: Perspectives From Bereaved Parents
Academic Medical Centers; Anticipatory Guidance; Bereavement; Chi Square Test; Child; Childhood Neoplasms; Communication; Data Analysis Software; Decision Making; Descriptive Statistics; Family; Female; Funding Source; Health Resource Utilization; Human; Male; Midwestern United States; Parental Attitudes – Evaluation; Patient Preference; Professional-Family Relations; Professional-Patient Relations; Psychosocial; Quality of Life; Questionnaires; Record Review; Retrospective Design; Shared; Support; Terminal Care – In Infancy and Childhood
Background: Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children in the United States. It is imperative to optimize measures to support patients and families facing the end of a child's life. This study asked bereaved parents to reflect on their child's end-of-life care to identify which components of decision-making, supportive services, and communication were helpful, not helpful, or lacking. Methods: An anonymous survey about end-of-life experiences was sent to families of children treated at a single institution who died of a malignancy between 2010 and 2017. Results: Twenty-eight surveys were returned for a 30.8% response rate. Most of the bereaved parents (61%) reported a desire for shared decision-making; this was described by 52% of families at the end of their child's life. There was a statistically significant association between how well death went and whether the parental perception of actual decision-making aligned with desired decision-making (P =.002). Families did not utilize many of the supportive services that are available including psychology and psychiatry (only 22% used). Respondents felt that additional services would have been helpful. Conclusions: Health care providers should strive to participate in decision-making models that align with the preferences of the patient and family and provide excellent communication. Additional resources to support families following the death of a child should be identified for families or developed and funded if a gap in available services is identified.
Sedig L K; Spruit J L; Paul T K; Cousino M K; McCaffery H; Pituch K; Hutchinson R
American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine
2020
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/10.1177/1049909120922973" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1177/1049909120922973</a>
Children Enrolled in Hospice Care Under Commercial Insurance: A Comparison of Different Age Groups
Data Analysis Software; Age Factors; Male; Human; Sex Factors; Length of Stay; Child; Prospective Studies; Female; Child Preschool; Analysis of Variance; Infant; Adolescence; Health Care Costs; Insurance Health; Pediatric Care; Pennsylvania; Descriptive Statistics; Retrospective Design; Funding Source; Chi Square Test; Cross Sectional Studies; Health Resource Utilization; Academic Medical Centers -- Pennsylvania; Chronic Disease -- Classification -- In Infancy and Childhood; Comparative Studies; Geographic Factors; Hospice Care -- Economics -- In Infancy and Childhood; Hospice Patients -- Psychosocial Factors; Pearson's Correlation Coefficient
Background: Although most children at end of life have commercial insurance, little is known about their demographic and clinical characteristics, what care they are receiving, and how much it costs. Objectives: To describe commercially insured children who enrolled in hospice care during their last year of life and to examine differences across age-groups. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using 2005 to 2014 data from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database from Truven Health Analytics. Variables were created for demographics, health, utilization, and spending. Analyses included χ2 and analysis of variance tests of differences. Results: Among the 17 062 children who utilized hospice, 49% had a preferred provider organization (PPO). Hospice length of stay averaged less than 5 days. Over 80% of children visited their primary care physician. Eight percent had hospital readmissions, and 38% had emergency department (ED) visits. Average expenditures were US$3686 per month or US$44 232 annually. The most common condition for children less than 1 year was cardiovascular (21.96%). Neuromuscular conditions were the most frequent (7.89%) in children aged 1 to 5 years, while malignancies (10.53% and 11.32%, respectively) were prevalent in ages 6 to 14 and 15 to 17. Children less than 1 year had the highest frequency of hospital readmissions (16.25%) with the lowest ED visits (28.67%) while incurring the highest expenses (US$11 211/month). Conclusions: The findings suggest that commercially insured children, who enroll in hospice, have flexible coverage with a PPO. Hospital readmissions and ED visits were relatively low for a population who was seriously ill. There were significant age-group differences.
Lindley Lisa C; Cohrs A C; Keim-Malpass J; Leslie D L
American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine
2019
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/10.1177/1049909118789868" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> 10.1177/1049909118789868</a>
A Systematic Review of Race/Ethnicity and Parental Treatment Decision-Making.
Caregivers; Clinical; Databases; Decision Making; Ethnic Groups; Health Resource Utilization; Human; Parental Attitudes; Patient Compliance; Pediatrics; Physician Attitudes; Race Factors; Systematic Review; Terminally Ill Patients
Patient race/ethnicity affects health care utilization, provider trust, and treatment choice. It is uncertain how these influences affect pediatric care. We performed a systematic review (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Embase) for articles examining race/ethnicity and parental treatment decision-making, adhering to PRISMA methodology. A total of 9200 studies were identified, and 17 met inclusion criteria. Studies focused on treatment decisions concerning end-of-life care, human papillomavirus vaccination, urological surgery, medication regimens, and dental care. Findings were not uniform between studies; however, pooled results showed (1) racial/ethnic minorities tended to prefer more aggressive end-of-life care; (2) familial tradition of neonatal circumcision influenced the decision to circumcise; and (3) non-Hispanic Whites were less likely to pursue human papillomavirus vaccination but more likely to complete the vaccine series if initiated. The paucity of studies precluded overarching findings regarding the influence of race/ethnicity on parental treatment decisions. Further investigation may improve family-centered communication, parent engagement, and shared decision-making.
Harris VC; Links AR; Walsh J; Schoo DP; Lee AH; Tunkel DE; Boss EF
Clinical Pediatrics
2018
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here.
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1177/0009922818788307" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1177/0009922818788307</a>