Evidence of improved quality of life with pediatric palliative care.
Pediatric nurses provide holistic family-centered care for children with life-limiting illnesses while being sensitive to children's growth and developmental needs. To learn how pediatric palliative care programs benefit children and their families, the following clinical question was asked: Among children with a life-limiting illness, does the use of a palliative care program compared with not using a palliative care program improve quality of life for patients and their families? Evidence from two studies found that palliative care services improve quality of life for children with life-limiting illness and their families in the areas of the child's emotional well-being and parental perception of preparation for the child's end of life, resulting in a low grade for the body of evidence. Future research should include high quality studies with larger sample sizes and control groups, and include children's perspectives--from both patients and siblings--to give a more complete picture of how best to improve their quality of life. A reliable tool is needed that includes a spiritual component and sensitive indicators specific to children with a life-limiting illness. Future research using this tool will more fully answer how palliative care services improve children's quality of life.
Lucy P
LP
O'Quinn
Barbara K
BK
Giambra
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult