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End-of-life care for children and adolescents

Pamela S Hinds1, Linda L Oakes, Judith Hicks

  • 1Division of Nursing Research, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. pam.hinds@stjude.org

Seminars in Oncology Nursing
|April 6, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Providing end-of-life care for children with cancer is complex and requires a supportive framework. Compassionate care for the dying child and their family is essential.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Palliative Care
  • Childhood Cancer Survivorship

Background:

  • End-of-life care for children and adolescents with cancer presents unique challenges.
  • Previous research has not fully elucidated the multifaceted nature of this care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the complexities associated with end-of-life care for pediatric patients experiencing cancer-related deaths.
  • To highlight the need for specialized support systems in pediatric palliative care.

Main Methods:

  • A comprehensive review of existing research studies was conducted.
  • Government reports and review articles were synthesized to identify key themes.

Main Results:

  • Providing competent and compassionate care to a dying child and their family is intensely complex.
  • These complexities are undeniable and may be unavoidable in certain clinical scenarios.

Conclusions:

  • A structured framework is crucial for delivering effective end-of-life care to children and adolescents with cancer.
  • Nurses and healthcare providers must collaborate to ensure competent and compassionate care during this vulnerable period.
Abstract

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