Widespread acceptance of hospice in the United States has contributed to increased public and professional interest in improved care, not only for dying persons, but for persons undergoing treatment for conditions that may not pose an immediate…
BACKGROUND: Respiratory depression is the opioid adverse effect feared most by physicians. This may hinder adequate dosing in cancer pain. The study was conducted to examine the respiratory function of patients with advanced cancer receiving…
This prospective study of consecutive patients describes the palliative medicine consult service in a tertiary level cancer center and its impact on patient care. All inpatients/outpatients referred to the Palliative Medicine Program in a 4-month…
BACKGROUND: Accurate prognostication of the trajectory of an illness provides multiple benefits in end-of-life care. Prognostic information facilitates more realistic decision making regarding ongoing treatment, fosters risk-benefit considerations of…
Social workers play an important role in the delivery of Hospice Palliative Care in many diverse settings. The profession brings a unique perspective to end-of-life care that reflects and supports the holistic philosophy of Hospice Palliative Care.…
Palliative care has always been a part of the care of children. It includes any intervention that focuses on relieving suffering, slowing the progression of disease, and improving quality of life at any stage of disease. In addition, for even the…
BACKGROUND: Although pediatric hospice care is commonly accepted as a beneficial intervention, the incremental advantage over end-of-life care delivered without engaging hospice remains unknown. The primary objective of this study was to describe…
BACKGROUND: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) programs facilitate the provision of comprehensive care to seriously ill children. Over the past 10 years many such programs have been initiated by children’s hospitals, but little is known about their…
Pediatric palliative care and pediatric hospice care (PPC-PHC) are often essential aspects of medical care for patients who have life-threatening conditions or need end-of-life care. PPC-PHC aims to relieve suffering, improve quality of life,…
Percutaneous cordotomy using CT guidance has been shown to be a safe and effective means of reducing pain in adults with cancer in 2 large case series. Its effectiveness in pediatric patients, however, has not been reported. Here, the authors present…
PURPOSE: To evaluate an end-of-life (EOL) program related to specific outcomes (i.e., number of hospitalizations and place of death) for children with brain tumors. DESIGN AND METHODS: From 1990 to 2005, a retrospective chart review was performed…
BACKGROUND: The provision of emotional and psychological support for all family members who need it is an essential element of holistic palliative care. Within East Anglia's Children's Hospice, teams of professionally trained and experienced workers…
BACKGROUND: Current options for location of end-of-life (EOL) care for children with cancer include home, hospital, and freestanding pediatric hospice (FSPH). However, access to these options varies greatly depending on geographical location. We…
BACKGROUND: Hospice is an important provider of end of life care. Adult minorities are less likely to enroll on hospice; little is known regarding the prevalence of pediatric hospice use or the characteristics of its users. Our primary objective was…
Background: The utilization of pediatric hospice care remains unclear in Taiwan. Methods: Data were analyzed from the claims of hospice admissions in patients aged 18 years or younger using the National Health Insurance Research Database from 2005 to…
Pediatric palliative care physicians have an ethical duty to care for the families of children with life-threatening conditions through their illness and bereavement. This duty is predicated on 2 important factors: (1) best interest of the child and…
The geographic interface between the need for and the supply of pediatric hospice may be critical in whether children with cancer access care. This study sought to describe the geographic distribution of pediatric hospice need and supply and identify…
BACKGROUND: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) aims to promote quality of life for children and their families through prevention and relief of physical and psychosocial symptoms. Little is known about how PPC/hospice services impact health care…
OBJECTIVE: To describe our institutional experience with a four-week pediatric HPM elective rotation and its impact on residents' self-rated competencies. BACKGROUND: In the spirit of bolstering primary hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) skills of…
AIM: The aim of this study was to seek views of UK children's and adult hospices on the availability and challenges of providing services for young adults with life-limiting conditions. BACKGROUND: Internationally, there are a growing number of young…
Background: Inpatient hospice care (IHC) for adults in Germany is used in the last weeks of life. Children, adolescents and young adults (ACA) with life-limiting diseases are entitled to 28 days/year of IHC during their lifetime. We explored various…
Background: The provision of pediatric palliative care in Asia Pacific varies between countries and availability of essential medications for symptoms at the end of life in this region is unclear. Objective: To determine medications available and…
Purpose According to the most recently published data from National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, approximately 78% of hospice providers in the United States serve pediatric patients, and the majority of these serve 1-10 patients per…
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to generate baseline data on the health characteristics, health care utilization, and health care spending among privately insured adolescents and young adults (AYA), who were enrolled in hospice care during…
BACKGROUND: Children with intellectual disability commonly lack access to pediatric hospice care services. Residential care may be a critical component in providing access to hospice care for children with intellectual disability.…
Traditionally, family-focused care extends to parents and siblings of children with life-limiting conditions. Only a few studies have focused on the needs of grandparents, who play an important role in the families of children with illness and with…
Background/Objectives: Despite the dramatically improved outcomes for pediatric cancer patients, cancer is the leading cause of death in Taiwan, accounting for 21.8% of death in 2014. The pediatric end-of-life (EOF) care has not been extensively…
Background: Children suffering from adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) requires life-long care. Little is known about the care needs of parents of ALD children at different stages of their disease. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand the…
Introduction: Patients may be admitted to hospital by paediatric palliative care units (PPCU) for different reasons, due to their different needs and clinical problems. The objective of this study is to present the data of patients admitted to the…
BACKGROUND: Children with life-limiting conditions often have complex needs, making it challenging for services to provide satisfactory care. Few studies consider whether services actually meet families' needs by exploring and identifying the…
BACKGROUND: Children with serious illness who receive hospice care often interface with nurses who lack training, experience and comfort in the provision of paediatric palliative and hospice care. Hospice nurse preferences for paediatric-specific…
Canuck Place Children's Hospice in Vancouver, Canada, has been hosting a massage therapy practicum within the hospice since 2011. The practicum is delivered by upper-level massage therapy students who are supervised by a registered massage therapist…
This study describes the influence of a palliative care team on location of death and location of death discussions with patients/caregivers, and determines whether location of death discussions influence location of death. With palliative care or a…
OBJECTIVES: Palliative care services have, up to now, paid insufficient attention to social aspects of dying and bereavement and this has affected how patients and their families experience end of life and bereavement within their communities. New…
Research conducted using the Haley Transcultural Strengths Assessment Interview Guide used in several studies has identified 11 sources of strength routinely utilized by parents caring for their child with intensive needs and child in…
