Supportive and palliative care needs of families of children with life-threatening illnesses in Western Australia: evidence to guide the development of a palliative care service

Title

Supportive and palliative care needs of families of children with life-threatening illnesses in Western Australia: evidence to guide the development of a palliative care service

Creator

Monterosso L; Kristjanson LJ; Aoun S; Phillips MB

Publisher

Palliative Medicine

Date

2007

Subject

Child; Humans; Terminally Ill; Critical Illness; Family Health; Western Australia; patient care team; Q3 Literature Search; Parents/psychology; social support; Quality of Health Care/organization & administration/standards; Community Health Nursing/organization & administration/standards; Palliative Care/organization & administration/psychology/standards

Description

OBJECTIVE: To obtain feedback from families of children receiving palliative and supportive care about their care needs in hospital and in community settings. DESIGN: A two-phase combined quantitative and qualitative study. SETTING: Western Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 134 parents and 20 service providers. RESULTS: Analysis indicated the concept of palliative care is poorly understood by health professionals and by parents. Many families are affected emotionally, financially and physically by the burden of caring for children with life threatening or chronic conditions requiring complex care at home. Parents indicated the need for clear and honest information about their child's condition and prognosis throughout the trajectory of illness and perceived this had been lacking. Families required financial and practical assistance with providing care from their children at home. Parents also wanted more practical resources and information to assist with the management of their child's nutrition and pain, as well as support for their other children. The level of respite (in home and residential) was perceived to be insufficient and inequitable. Parents also required access to, and advice from, multidisciplinary health professionals when caring for their child at home. There was a perceived lack of coordination between community services and the hospital. CONCLUSION: Education of health professionals and parents regarding the concepts and introduction of palliative and supportive care is required. Care for children and their families should be coordinated by a multidisciplinary team in consultation with children and their families, and linked and integrated with the treating hospital in collaboration with community services. More inclusive criteria are required for community services including practical aids and respite care.
2007

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).

Type

Journal Article

Citation List Month

Backlog

Citation

Monterosso L; Kristjanson LJ; Aoun S; Phillips MB, “Supportive and palliative care needs of families of children with life-threatening illnesses in Western Australia: evidence to guide the development of a palliative care service,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 29, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/14117.