Supporting the Child and the Family in Paediatric Palliative Care provides a comprehensive overview of good practice in caring for terminally-ill children, young people and their families. Drawing from extensive personal experiences of working in paediatric palliative care, the author provides guidance on issues including symptom management and pain relief; cultural, religious and spiritual aspects of care; and the role of education for life-limited children. Addressing the importance of individual needs, the book looks at emotional, social and cognitive support at different stages of the illness, how parents and professionals can respond to children's own questions about death, and the impact of life-limiting illness on the whole family - including grandparents and siblings. The material offers helpful suggestions on how to support families in making informed choices during distressing periods, such as where their child will die and how to prepare for the funeral. This book is a practical and invaluable tool for nurses, paediatricians, hospice care staff, bereavement counsellors and all those caring for life-limited children.

'Pediatric Palliative Care', the fourth volume in the 'HPNA Palliative Nursing Manuals' series, addresses paediatric hospice, symptom management, paediatric pain, the neonatal intensive care unit, transitioning goals of care between the emergency department and intensive care unit, and grief and bereavement in paediatric palliative care.

Supporting the Child and the Family in Paediatric Palliative Care provides a comprehensive overview of good practice in caring for terminally-ill children, young people and their families.Drawing from extensive personal experiences of working in paediatric palliative care, the author provides guidance on issues including symptom management and pain relief; cultural, religious and spiritual aspects of care; and the role of education for life-limited children. Addressing the importance of individual needs, the book looks at emotional, social and cognitive support at different stages of the illness, how parents and professionals can respond to children's own questions about death, and the impact of life-limiting illness on the whole family - including grandparents and siblings. The material offers helpful suggestions on how to support families in making informed choices during distressing periods, such as where their child will die and how to prepare for the funeral.This book is a practical and invaluable tool for nurses, paediatricians, hospice care staff, bereavement counsellors and all those caring for life-limited children.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Pediatric Palliative Care" that was published in Children

This document is a brief summary of the Institute of Medicine report entitled When Children Die: Improving Palliative and End-of-Life Care for Children. Better care is possible now, but current methods of organizing and financing palliative, end-of-life, and bereavement care complicate the provision and coordination of services to help children and families and sometimes require families to choose between curative or life-prolonging care and palliative services, in particular, hospice care. Inadequate data and scientific knowledge impede efforts to deliver effective care, educate professionals to provide such care, and design supportive public policies. Integrating effective palliative care from the time a child's life-threatening medical problem is diagnosed will improve care for children who survive as well as children who die-and will help the families of all these children. The report recognizes that while much can be done now to support children and families, much more needs to be learned. The analysis and recommendations reflect current knowledge and judgments, but new research and insights will undoubtedly suggest modifications and shifts in emphasis in future years.

The importance of palliative care for children facing life threatening illness and their families is now widely acknowledged as an essential part of care, which should be available to all children and families, throughout the child's illness and at the end of life. The new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Care for Children brings together the most up to date information, current knowledge, evidence, and developments of clinical practice in the field. The book is structured into four sections. 'Foundations of Care' describes core issues, the foundations on which paediatric palliative care is based. 'Child and Family Care' looks at different aspects of psychological, social, and cultural care for the sick child or young person, and their family. These chapters cover the time course of the illness, around the time of death and support for the bereaved family. 'Symptom Care' focuses on the uses of medication, specific symptoms, and their management. Finally, 'Delivery of Care' examines practical approaches to care in different environments and the needs of clinicians. Two new editors join the team from Canada and South Africa, reflecting our aims to contribute towards the development of care for children across the world, and to be a resource for both experienced clinicians and those new to the field. Comprehensive in scope, exhaustive in detail, and definitive in authority, this third edition has been thoroughly updated to cover new practices, current epidemiological data, and the evolving models that support the delivery of palliative medicine to children. This includes two new chapters, looking in detail at 'Decision Making' and 'Perinatal Care', and a new section highlighting the emerging importance of 'Palliative Care for Children in Humanitarian Crises'. This book is an essential resource for anyone who works with children worldwide.

The death of a child is a special sorrow. No matter the circumstances, a child's death is a life-altering experience. Except for the child who dies suddenly and without forewarning, physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel usually play a central role in the lives of children who die and their families. At best, these professionals will exemplify "medicine with a heart." At worst, families' encounters with the health care system will leave them with enduring painful memories, anger, and regrets. When Children Die examines what we know about the needs of these children and their families, the extent to which such needs areâ€"and are notâ€"being met, and what can be done to provide more competent, compassionate, and consistent care. The book offers recommendations for involving child patients in treatment decisions, communicating with parents, strengthening the organization and delivery of services, developing support programs for bereaved families, improving public and private insurance, training health professionals, and more. It argues that taking these steps will improve the care of children who survive as well as those who do notâ€"and will likewise help all families who suffer with their seriously ill or injured child. Featuring illustrative case histories, the book discusses patterns of childhood death and explores the basic elements of physical, emotional, spiritual, and practical care for children and families experiencing a child's life-threatening illness or injury.