CONTEXT: Inclusion of bereaved parents in survey-based research is essential to improving end-of-life care for children and their families. However, racial and ethnic minorities are vastly underrepresented in these studies. OBJECTIVES: Examine which…
BACKGROUND: It is important to document the domains surrounding end-of-life (EOL) care in the electronic health record (EHR). No pediatric navigator exists for these purposes. MEASURES: Medical charts were reviewed for documentation surrounding code…
CONTEXT: Parents desire more opportunities for advance care planning (ACP), however, large-scale adoption of ACP for seriously ill children remains unrealized. Little is known about current approaches to ACP and strategies to circumvent existing…
Context: Most pediatric deaths occur in an intensive care unit, and treatment specific predictors of mortality could help clinicians and families make informed decisions. Objective(s): To investigate whether the intensity of vasopressor therapy for…
Background: Nausea and vomiting is a common symptom in children through their end of life journey. Aprepitant, a NK-1 antagonist, has become a potent weapon in the fight against chemo-induced nausea and vomiting. However, its use in palliative care…
CONTEXT: Interprofessional education (IPE) prepares clinicians for collaborative practice, yet little is known about the effectiveness of postgraduate IPE. OBJECTIVE(S): This is the first study to describe educational outcomes of an interprofessional…
Context: The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has profoundly impacted the provision of pediatric palliative care (PPC) interventions including goals of care discussions, symptom management, and end-of-life care. Objective: Gaining understanding of the…
Up to 40% of patients cared for by pediatric palliative care teams have severe neurologic impairment (SNI). Children with SNI have congenital/chromosomal, central nervous system static or progressive conditions that result in lifelong cognitive…
CONTEXT: The relationship between quality of Goals of Care (GOC) conversations and moral distress among NICU providers is not known. OBJECTIVES: We sought: 1) to explore levels of moral distress in providers, 2) to evaluate how staff moral distress…
BACKGROUND: The field of pediatric palliative care (PPC) continues to encounter challenges and opportunities to improving access to high-quality PPC services. In early 2019, a workshop identified eleven potential "next step" actions, and subsequently…
CONTEXT: There is potential value to home-based palliative care for children with serious illness delivered via telemedicine (TM HBPC). Evidence to guide optimal design and delivery of TM HBPC is urgently needed. OBJECTIVES: To explore the existing…
CONTEXT: Improving end-of-life care for children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) requires parental perspectives. The vulnerability of bereaved parents has historically been a research barrier and studies describing their research participation…
CONTEXT: Approximately 12% of children with cancer will not survive, representing a devastating loss for parents. Strategies to improve parental coping and grief have been understudied. Although legacy-making is frequently offered as standard care to…
CONTEXT: Cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death in childhood, with the death of a child representing a devastating loss for families. Peer support offers a valuable way to support parents' adjustment in bereavement. The By My Side book…
Context: Racial and ethnic disparities in end-of-life care are well documented among adults with advanced cancer. Objective(s): To examine the extent to which communication and care differ by race and ethnicity among children with advanced cancer.…
Context: Clinicians deciding whether to refer a patient or family to specialty palliative care report facing high levels of uncertainty. Most research on medical uncertainty has focused on prognostic uncertainty. As part of a pediatric palliative…
CONTEXT: Early palliative care (PC) has been shown to improve the quality of life of children with cancer, yet referral practices by pediatric oncology providers remains inconsistent and few patients receive a formal PC consult. OBJECTIVE(S): We…
Context: Although palliative care (PC) continues to be integrated into pediatric oncological care, only a minority of patients with cancer receive a formal PC consult.
CONTEXT: Although parents experience grief when confronted with their child's deterioration and imminent death, most bereavement care is focused on supporting parents after child loss. Insight into the health care professionals' (HCPs) intentions and…
CONTEXT: Concerns for child maltreatment can complicate the provision of pediatric palliative care (PPC). Little is known about the vulnerable population of children with life-threatening conditions involved with PPC and state Child Protective…
CONTEXT: There are no validated Spanish tools to assess symptom burden in pediatric cancer. The Pediatric Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (Pediatric-MSAS) is an English valid multidimensional and comprehensive instrument. OBJECTIVES: To validate…
CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on palliative care delivery and patient experiences. Less is known about the experiences and responses of palliative care clinicians. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the pandemic's impact on…
OBJECTIVES: For parents, family or clinicians of children with rare, life-threatening conditions there is little information regarding likely symptoms, illness trajectory and end-of-life care. This descriptive analysis of a bereaved cohort recruited…
Context: Most hospice nurses across Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi report significant discomfort with provision of pediatric palliative and hospice care (PPHC). How best to target and modify variables to increase nurse comfort levels is not…
CONTEXT: Children with life-shortening serious illnesses and medically complex care needs are often cared for by their families at home. Little, however, is known about what aspects of pediatric palliative and hospice care in the home setting…
Context: Children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) have high morbidity and mortality. While these children often receive palliative care services, little is known about parental preparedness for their child's end of life (EOL). Objective(s):…
CONTEXT: Telemedicine has the potential to extend care reach and access to home-based hospice services for children. Few studies have explored nurse perspectives regarding this communication modality for rural pediatric cohorts. OBJECTIVES: The…
Objectives: * Describe the evidence from a growing body of literature demonstrating the dearth of pediatric-focused training and resources for community hospice nurses, as well as the lack of comfort of community hospice nurses with providing…
Objectives: * Describe the study design of this study. * Specify the 5 most prevalent symptoms in pediatric palliative care. * Describe how symptom count, frequency, and severity contribute to poly-symptomatology. Importance: Pediatric palliative…
Objectives: * Describe a framework for understanding circumstances in which Pediatric Palliative Care providers may encounter child abuse or neglect. * Explain the need for future investigations into the overlap of PPC and CPT/CPS. Importance: The…
CONTEXT: Children with chronic critical illness (CCI) have repeated and prolonged hospitalizations. Discrete communication challenges characterize their inpatient care. OBJECTIVES: Develop, implement and evaluate a communication training for…
Objectives: * State the elements and trajectory of distress for parents caring for children and adolescents undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. * Examine the impact of parent…
Children are seeing rapid changes to their routines and facing an unpredictable future. Palliative care teams may consider expanding their communication training and skill sets to help families consider caring ways to communicate with their children…
CONTEXT: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) can improve quality of life for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. However, PPC resources vary by state and within a state, PPC resources and personnel are often inequitably…
CONTEXT: Prior studies have indicated that pediatric palliative care (PPC) resources vary across states and within regions in a state. Evaluating the current status of PPC and pediatric hospice care through a community needs assessment (CNA) can help…
Context Specialized pediatric palliative care (SPPC) is increasingly involved in the care of seriously ill children, yet the evidence on its impact has not been comprehensively reviewed. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the effects…
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.…
Objectives: * Examine the key structures and processes of inpatient pediatric palliative care programs in the United States. * Assess the degree of variation in program delivery, staffing, and patient volumes. * Identify three threats and three…
Objectives: * Describe state of current science and theory related to grief and bereavement. * Discuss variations of grief and strategies to support bereaved individuals. * Identify best practices to support healthy grief in hospice and palliative…
Objectives: * Describe a prospective study to evaluate how parents of children with advanced heart disease (AHD) perceive communication about prognosis with their child's physicians. * Describe results from this analysis that found no correlation…
