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Barriers to the development of pediatric palliative care in Italy
Franca Benini1, Marcello Orzalesi2, Anna de Santi3
1Dipartimento di Salute della Donna e del Bambino, Centro di Riferimento Veneto di Terapia del Dolore e Cure Palliative Pediatriche, Università degli studi di Padova, Padua, Italy.
Insights
Barriers to pediatric palliative care (PPC) in Italy persist despite legislation. Key challenges include socio-cultural factors, patient needs, provider training, and policy issues, hindering access to essential services for ill children and their families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Palliative Care
- Healthcare Policy
Background:
- Evolving patient needs and technological advancements impact pediatric palliative care (PPC).
- Italian legislation (Law 38/2010) guarantees access to PPC, but service availability remains limited.
- Significant gaps exist in providing comprehensive PPC services for children in Italy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify critical obstacles in planning and developing pediatric palliative care services in Italy.
- To review existing data and literature on PPC service provision.
- To inform strategies for improving PPC access and quality.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of existing data and published studies.
- Analysis of critical issues impacting PPC service development.
- Identification of key areas hindering PPC implementation.
Main Results:
- Four primary areas impede PPC development: socio-cultural context, patient/disease characteristics, healthcare provider training, and regulatory/political factors.
- Socio-cultural barriers influence the acceptance and integration of PPC.
- Inadequate training for PPC providers and policy challenges limit service expansion.
Conclusions:
- Understanding these barriers is crucial for developing effective strategies.
- Supportive, corrective, and implementation strategies are needed to advance PPC services.
- Addressing identified issues can improve access to pediatric palliative care in Italy.
Introduction:
In recent years the emergence of new types of patient, clinical situations, technological frontiers and "health" objectives have changed considerably the needs of ill children, this also concerns pediatric palliative care (PPC). In Italy, despite the introduction of legislation (Law 38/2010) stipulating the right of children and families to access appropriate services for pain control and pediatric palliative care, the availability of these services is still limited.
Aim:
The aim of this study is to highlight, through a review of the existing data and published literature, the critical issues that obstacle the planning and development of PPC services in Italy.
Results:
Four main areas identified were: socio-cultural setting; types of patients and nature of diseases requiring PPC; training for PPC providers; regulatory and political issues.
Conclusions:
This type of analysis can provide the rational for advancing proposals and developing supportive, corrective and implementation strategies.
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