Purpose This study aimed to determine whether feeding back patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to providers and families of children with advanced cancer improves symptom distress and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patients and Methods This…
PURPOSE: In the past decade studies have documented substantial suffering among children dying of cancer, prompting national attention on the quality of end-of-life care and the development of a palliative care service in our institutions. We sought…
Purpose The impact of specialized pediatric palliative care (SPPC) teams on patterns of end-of-life care is unknown. We sought to determine (1) which children with cancer access SPPC and (2) the impact of accessing SPPC on the risk of experiencing…
Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are a heterogeneous group. Nevertheless, there are sufficient unifying characteristics to form a distinct clinical entity. Management of this special group requires a broad-based interdisciplinary…
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe and show effectiveness of the outreach team model of palliative care (PC) in allowing home death for children with incurable cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Over 7 months, 185 children from 22 United…
PURPOSE: To compare quality of life of children with cancer with no reasonable chance of cure reported by parents 6 months or fewer versus more than 6 months before death. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study included children between the…
PURPOSE: The main objective was to compare parent-reported health-related quality of life (HRQL) of child and adolescent survivors of childhood cancer to that of controls who had no history of cancer. METHODS: We assessed HRQL of 800 child and…
Pediatric palliative care aims to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life of children with serious disease and increase support for their parents and other family members. Integration of palliative care into the routine care of children,…
Purpose Concordance between parents of children with advanced cancer and health care providers has not been described. We aimed to describe parent-provider concordance regarding prognosis and goals of care, including differences by cancer type.…
PURPOSE: To define the dose ratio between morphine and methadone in relation to the previous morphine dose and the number of days needed to achieve the same level of analgesia in a group of patients with advanced cancer with pain who switched from…
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…
PURPOSE: Along with evidence, clinical policies must take patients' values into account. Particularly where evidence is limited and where assumptions of utility-maximizing behavior may not be valid, new methods such as trade-off techniques (TOTs),…
PURPOSE: To describe hopeful and persuasive messages communicated by physicians during informed consent for phase I trials and examine whether such communication is associated with physician and parent ratings of the likelihood of benefit, physician…
PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical benefits of switching from morphine to oral methadone in patients who experience poor analgesia or adverse effects from morphine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-two consecutive cancer patients receiving oral morphine…
10053Background: While great strides have transpired in pediatric cancer management in high-income countries (HICs), more than 80% of all children with cancer live in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs),where fewer than 20% will be cured. The…
PURPOSE: Physicians sometimes selectively convey prognostic information to support patients' hopes. However, the relationship between prognostic disclosure and hope is not known. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We surveyed 194 parents of children with cancer…
PURPOSE: Previous literature suggests that parents often wish to continue cancer-directed therapy for their children with incurable cancer. We assessed parents' experiences with treatment for their children with cancer and no realistic chance of…
PURPOSE: To ascertain parents' and physicians' assessments of quality of end-of-life care for children with cancer and to determine factors associated with high-quality care as perceived by parents and physicians. METHODS: A survey was conducted…
PURPOSE: To examine bereavement mental health service use, barriers to use, and factors associated with use in parents bereaved by cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A multicenter, cross-sectional study of 120 parents bereaved by cancer between 6 months…
Background: Parents of children with cancer admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often obtain support from social workers and/or chaplains (SWs/Cs). Yet, empirical work describing the roles and activities of SWs/Cs caring for patients…
PURPOSE: To assess unresolved parental grief, the associated long-term impact on mental and physical health, and health service use. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This anonymous, mail-in questionnaire study was performed as a population-based investigation…
PURPOSE: To compare the health-related quality of life (QOL) of parents of children who are undergoing treatment for cancer with that of Canadian population norms and to identify important parent and child predictors of parental QOL. PATIENTS AND…
Background: It is difficult to perceive the preparation of a good death for children because of its social and cultural issues. Among the children with serious diseases, they can be alienated and the whole processes are done by the decision of the…
PURPOSEEvidence suggests that adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer (defined as age 15-39 years) receive high-intensity (HI) medical care at the end-of-life (EOL). Previous population-level studies are limited and lack information on the…
PURPOSE: Palliative care prevents or relieves the symptoms caused by life-threatening medical conditions. Previous surveys have shown both underuse and lack of availability of these services for children with cancer throughout North America. We…
Purpose Engagement in advance care planning (ACP) is viewed as a way to prepare for possible death. In patients undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), an aggressive but possibly curative procedure for cancer, encouraging…
PURPOSE: To examine hospice referral patterns among pediatric oncologists and identify barriers to referral. METHODS: A self-administered survey was sent to 1,200 pediatric oncologists who are members of Children's Oncology Group. Two electronic mail…
PURPOSE: This study examines the rate and prediction of referral for specialized psychosocial oncology care in 326 patients with metastatic GI or lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Referral information was abstracted from medical records and hospital…
PURPOSE: Little is known about how couples care for the terminally ill child with cancer. We assessed both parents' understanding of prognosis and treatment goals for children with cancer and explored whether sex mediates these views. We also…
