Paediatric palliative care: challenges and emerging ideas.
Paediatric palliative care is an emerging subspecialty that focuses on achieving the best possible quality of life for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. To achieve this goal, the individuals working in this field need to: clearly define the population served; better understand the needs of children with life-threatening conditions and their families; develop an approach that will be appropriate across different communities; provide care that responds adequately to suffering; advance strategies that support caregivers and health-care providers; and promote needed change by cultivating educational programmes. Despite these challenges, advances in paediatric palliative care have been achieved in a short period of time; we expect far greater progress as the field becomes more formalised and research networks are established.
Liben
Stephen
S
The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Papadatou
Danai
D
Wolfe
Joanne
J
D001293:Attitude to Death; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends; D010372:Pediatrics; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*