Close to Home: Perinatal Palliative Care in a Community Hospital
Title
Close to Home: Perinatal Palliative Care in a Community Hospital
Creator
Ziegler T R; Kuebelbeck A
Identifier
Publisher
Advances in Neonatal Care
Date
2020
Subject
community palliative care; community perinatal hospice; life-limiting perinatal diagnosis; neonatal palliative care; perinatal hospice; perinatal palliative care; prenatal testing
Description
BACKGROUND: Advances in prenatal testing and diagnosis have resulted in more parents learning during pregnancy that their child may die before or shortly after birth. These advances in testing and diagnosis have also resulted in more parents choosing, despite the diagnosis, to continue their pregnancies and pursue a palliative approach to their infant's short life. Perinatal hospice and palliative care is a growing model of care developed in response to these parents' previously unmet needs. A seldom-discussed opportunity to provide this care exists in outlying community hospitals, which are ideally placed to provide care close to home for families who have chosen comfort measures and time with their child. PURPOSE: This article reviews the definition and utility of perinatal palliative care, the population it serves, attempts to support a rational for development of community-based programs, and describes one community hospital's experience with perinatal palliative care in their community. METHODS/SEARCH STRATEGY: This article describes the development and processes of a perinatal palliative care program at a community hospital in Fredericksburg, Virginia. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Perinatal palliative care can be developed with the assistance of already existing training materials, resources, and staff. While the cohort of patients may be small, implementing perinatal palliative care in a community setting may result in wider availability of this care and more accessible options for these families. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: Research possibilities include developing a template for creating a perinatal palliative care program at community hospitals that could be replicated elsewhere; assessing parental satisfaction and quality indicators of perinatal palliative care at community hospitals and at referral hospitals; and assessing outcomes in various settings.
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
July 2020 List
URL Address
Collection
Citation
Ziegler T R; Kuebelbeck A, “Close to Home: Perinatal Palliative Care in a Community Hospital,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed February 10, 2025, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/17157.