title: Improving quality of life in hospitalized children.
abstract: There are many ways to add to children's quality of life within the hospital environment. Inpatient settings offer both opportunities and challenges with respect to providing care to children with life-threatening illnesses. The barriers to pediatric palliative care (PPC) on hospital wards, as with those in other settings, frequently stem from misconceptions. However, some barriers are intensified by characteristics of acute inpatient centers. Yet some characteristics of the inpatient setting, including the availability of human resources and unique interventions, offer creative ways to ease distress and improve quality of life for children and their families.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada. Electronic address: adam.rapoport@sickkids.ca.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rapoport
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weingarten
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized / Q000523:psychology*; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Children; Distress; Hospital; Palliative care; Quality of life