Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care Services: What Are The Benefits?

Title

Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care Services: What Are The Benefits?

Creator

Mitchell Sarah; Morris Andrew; Bennett Karina; Sajid Laiba; Dale Jeremy

Identifier

10.1136/archdischild-2016-312026

Publisher

Archives Of Disease In Childhood

Date

2017

Subject

Paediatric Practice; Paediatric Staffing; Palliative Care

Description

BACKGROUND: The number of children and young people (CYP) living with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions is rising. Paediatric palliative care is a relatively new aspect of healthcare, the delivery of which is variable, with a wide range of healthcare and voluntary sector providers involved. Policy recommendations are for Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care (SPPC) services to be supported by a physician with specialist training. AIM: To examine the research evidence regarding the distinct benefits of SPPC services, with 'Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care' defined as palliative care services supported by a specialist physician. METHOD: Systematic review of studies of SPPC services published in English from 1980 to 2016. Keyword searches were carried out in medical databases (Cochrane, PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL and AMED) and a narrative synthesis. RESULTS: Eight studies were identified, most of which were retrospective surveys undertaken within single institutions; three were surveys of bereaved parents and three were medical notes reviews. Together they represented a heterogeneous body of low-level evidence. Cross-cutting themes suggest that SPPC services improve the quality of life and symptom control and can impact positively on place of care and family support. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence indicates that SPPC services contribute beneficially to the care and experience of CYP and their families, but is limited in terms of quantity, methodological rigour and generalisability. Further research is necessary given the significant workforce and resource implications associated with policy recommendations about the future provision of SPPC and to address the need for evidence to inform the design and delivery of SPPC services.

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Citation List Month

June 2017 List

URL Address

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28377450

Citation

Mitchell Sarah; Morris Andrew; Bennett Karina; Sajid Laiba; Dale Jeremy, “Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care Services: What Are The Benefits?,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/10903.