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Mortality trends for pediatric life-threatening conditions
Negar Chavoshi1, Tanice Miller2, Harold Siden3
1School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada Canuck Place Children's Hospice, Vancouver, BC, Canada negar.chavoshi@canuckplace.org.
The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care
|March 6, 2014
Summary
Pediatric palliative care in British Columbia (BC) reached only 15% of children with life-threatening conditions. Infants and those with cancer or nervous system diseases were disproportionately affected, highlighting a need for enhanced interdisciplinary programs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Palliative Care
- Child Mortality Trends
- Life-Threatening Conditions in Children
Background:
- Understanding mortality trends in children with life-threatening conditions is crucial for healthcare planning.
- The sole pediatric hospice in British Columbia (BC) provides an opportunity to analyze local pediatric end-of-life care data.
- Previous data on the characteristics of children accessing pediatric palliative care in BC were limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mortality trends among children with life-threatening conditions in BC from 2002 to 2011.
- To compare the characteristics of children utilizing the provincial pediatric hospice with the general pediatric population.
- To assess the reach of pediatric palliative care services within BC and identify areas for improvement.
Main Methods:
- Utilized internal data from BC's only pediatric hospice.
- Compared hospice patient demographics (sex, geographic distribution) with provincial population data (ages 0-18) from 2002-2011.
- Analyzed diagnostic categories and the proportion of pediatric deaths managed by the hospice.
Main Results:
- The overall provincial pediatric death rate was 2.30 per 10,000.
- Infants represented a significantly larger proportion of pediatric deaths in the general population.
- Hospice patients were more frequently diagnosed with cancer and diseases of the nervous system.
- The hospice provided care for only 15% of all pediatric disease-related deaths in BC.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric palliative care services in BC reach a small fraction of children with life-threatening conditions.
- Infants and children with cancer or neurological disorders are key populations within pediatric end-of-life care.
- There is a significant need to strengthen interdisciplinary palliative care programs to improve access and coverage for all children in BC.
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