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…
BACKGROUND: Pain may be reported in one-half to three-fourths of children with cancer and other terminal conditions and anxiety in about one-third of them. Pharmacologic methods do not always give satisfactory symptom relief. Complementary therapies…
BACKGROUND: Pediatric palliative care (PPC) education is lacking in pediatric critical care medicine (PCCM) fellowships, despite the desire of many program directors and fellows to expand difficult conversation training. Simulation-based training is…
Aim: In this prospective study, we explored symptom variability in patients with cancer during repeated measurements. METHODS: Patients with cancer admitted to an inpatient hospice completed a daily questionnaire throughout their admission. The…
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of palliative medicine consultation on completion of advance directives/do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders by racial/ethnic minorities., METHOD: A sample of 1999 seriously ill African American and Hispanic…
Morphine is the strong opioid of choice in the management of moderate-to-severe chronic cancer pain. The preferred route of administration is oral, in individually titrated doses, regularly scheduled around the clock We conducted a retrospective…
The Photographs of Meaning Program for pediatric palliative caregivers (POM-PPCG) is an innovative, meaning-based intervention utilizing photovoice and social media components. In 2017, 9 pediatric palliative caregivers participated in this…
This study was aimed at developing and piloting a school-based intervention on severe illness-induced bereavement through a project focused on spreading knowledge of palliative care among high school students (phases 0-II Medical Research Council…
Pediatric hospice and palliative care has progressed in recent years with the development of new programs and models of care. Missing from the empirical literature, however is a model of the needs of children. The purpose of the present study was to…
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to examine how the comprehensive nature of the Stress Process Model could elucidate on the stressors associated with caring for a palliative cancer patient. Method: A qualitative research strategy…
INTRODUCTION: Delayed discussion of a patient's code status can lead to shortsighted care plans that increase hospital length of stay (LOS) and costs., METHODS: Retrospective study compared intensive care unit (ICU) patients who accepted verses…
Improving symptom management for palliative care patients has obvious benefits for patients and advantages for the clinicians, as workload demands and work-related stress can be reduced when the emergent symptoms of patients are managed in a timely…
Although laws such as the Patient Self-Determination Act encourage individuals to address their end-of-life treatment preferences using advance directives, the wishes of children have traditionally been ignored or, perhaps even worse, overruled.…
Recent laws in Europe now allow for pediatric euthanasia. The author reviews some rationale for caution, and addresses why ensuring the availability of pediatric palliative care is an important step before allowing pediatric euthanasia.
