Antecedents
The antecedents of pediatric palliative care would “include children/families with an acute illness that progresses to a life-limiting illness, children/families with a chronic disease that progresses to a life-limiting illness, an interdisciplinary team educated in pediatric palliative care, and an institution providing pediatric palliative care services” (Stayer, 2012 p. 354). Before a child is put into pediatric palliative care, they have to suffer a life-limiting illness. The child may have been born with this illness, may have caught the illness, or may have suffered severe trauma bringing upon this life-limiting illness. Consequences Consequences of pediatric palliative care can be seen through the child, family, and …show more content…
For example, a single-institution study of the parents of children who died of cancer, Wolfe et al. (2000) noted that most symptoms were reported more frequently by parents than by physicians. “The majority of children suffered “a lot” or “a great deal,” and the treatment of symptoms was often ineffective, findings indicating a scope of distressing symptoms similar to those seen in adult patients with cancer” (Wolfe, 2000). There has been some research in creating measurements that measure the quality of life and effectiveness of palliative care services in adults which could be used in the future for pediatrics (Himelstein et al., 2004). These measurements include “an understanding of the definitions of a “good death” and of the quality of life from the perspective of adult patients and an identification of treatment preferences and factors important in advance care planning” (Himelstein et al., 2004). However, more research needs to be made before they can be used for children as most children are unaware of what “good death” means. (Himelstein et al., 2004). Because of the lack of research on the assessment of a child who is in pediatric palliative care, it is very important to keep testing and developing appropriate measurements for a
The antecedents of pediatric palliative care would “include children/families with an acute illness that progresses to a life-limiting illness, children/families with a chronic disease that progresses to a life-limiting illness, an interdisciplinary team educated in pediatric palliative care, and an institution providing pediatric palliative care services” (Stayer, 2012 p. 354). Before a child is put into pediatric palliative care, they have to suffer a life-limiting illness. The child may have been born with this illness, may have caught the illness, or may have suffered severe trauma bringing upon this life-limiting illness. Consequences Consequences of pediatric palliative care can be seen through the child, family, and …show more content…
For example, a single-institution study of the parents of children who died of cancer, Wolfe et al. (2000) noted that most symptoms were reported more frequently by parents than by physicians. “The majority of children suffered “a lot” or “a great deal,” and the treatment of symptoms was often ineffective, findings indicating a scope of distressing symptoms similar to those seen in adult patients with cancer” (Wolfe, 2000). There has been some research in creating measurements that measure the quality of life and effectiveness of palliative care services in adults which could be used in the future for pediatrics (Himelstein et al., 2004). These measurements include “an understanding of the definitions of a “good death” and of the quality of life from the perspective of adult patients and an identification of treatment preferences and factors important in advance care planning” (Himelstein et al., 2004). However, more research needs to be made before they can be used for children as most children are unaware of what “good death” means. (Himelstein et al., 2004). Because of the lack of research on the assessment of a child who is in pediatric palliative care, it is very important to keep testing and developing appropriate measurements for a