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Pediatric palliative care patients: a prospective multicenter cohort study

Chris Feudtner1, Tammy I Kang, Kari R Hexem

  • 1Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. feudtner@email.chop.edu

Pediatrics
|May 11, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Hospital-based pediatric palliative care (PPC) teams serve diverse children with serious illnesses. Most patients survive over a year, unlike adult palliative care cases.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Palliative Care
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Pediatric palliative care (PPC) is crucial for children with life-limiting conditions.
  • Understanding the characteristics of patients receiving PPC is essential for service improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the demographic and clinical profiles of pediatric patients receiving hospital-based palliative care consultations.
  • To evaluate the outcomes of these pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective observational cohort study was conducted.
  • Data were collected from 6 hospital-based PPC teams in the US and Canada over 3 months in 2008.
  • 515 new and established patients were included.

Main Results:

  • The cohort included diverse patients with genetic/congenital, neuromuscular, and cancer diagnoses.
  • Many patients required medical technology and experienced pain or cognitive impairment.
  • 30.3% of patients died within 12 months; infants with cancer or cardiovascular conditions had higher early mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric palliative care teams manage a varied group of young patients with severe conditions.
  • Unlike adult palliative care, most pediatric patients receiving PPC live longer than one year.
Abstract

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