Subject
adolescent; Child; Female; Humans; infant; Male; Palliative Care; Terminal Care; referral and consultation; Pediatrics; Health Personnel; Program Evaluation; Continuity of Patient Care; Biomedical Research; Inservice Training; District of Columbia; quality of life; Preschool; Newborn; PEDI Study; Quality of Health Care
Description
The care of children in the U.S. with life-limiting illnesses is inadequate. Misallocated resources, flawed assumptions and models of care, and a lack of appropriate professional education foster a costly, inefficient system that falls short of its true potential. This article details the evolution of a regional, shared approach to address these issues, the District of Columbia Pediatric Palliative Care Collaboration (DCPPCC), and includes its evolution, preliminary clinical results, and assessment of barriers encountered.