title: Developing the Liverpool Care Pathway for the dying child.
abstract: In most western societies the death of a child is a rare occurrence. When it does occur, it typically takes place after a period of intensive and often prolonged treatment. In light of the relative infrequency of these events in clinical practice, ensuring that all dying children and their families receive consistent and appropriate care remains a challenge. A retrospective audit of documentation of care for dying children in two paediatric units in the north-west of England illustrated that the care provided was not always documented consistently. This paper highlights work currently underway to develop an integrated care pathway for the care of the dying child based on the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). The aim of this work is to facilitate the delivery and recording of optimum care for all dying children and their families.
authors.affiliation: The Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute, Liverpool.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gambles
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ellershaw
authors.forename: Lynda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brook
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Aruna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hodgson
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019985:Benchmarking; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004282:Documentation / Q000592:standards; D004739:England; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D009731:Nursing Audit; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009737:Nursing Records / Q000592:standards; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration