Implementing a nurse-led paediatric palliative care service

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Medicine
• Palliative Care
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Children with life-limiting illnesses are living longer, presenting complex care needs.
• Paediatric palliative care is underdeveloped globally.
• Specialized knowledge and skills are crucial for effective paediatric palliative care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the implementation of a novel nurse-led paediatric palliative care program.
• To describe the process within a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia.
• To analyze data from the first year of the program's operation.

Main Methods:

• A 1-year analysis of collected data was performed.
• The study describes the implementation steps of the nurse-led program.
• Data collection focused on patient demographics, diagnoses, interventions, and encountered issues.

Main Results:

• 107 children received services; cancer was the most common diagnosis (66.3%).
• Key issues included family coping difficulties (74.7%) and uncontrolled pain (67.3%).
• Primary interventions involved family support (66.3%), education (64.5%), and pain management (56%).

Conclusions:

• Paediatric palliative care can be effectively implemented, even with limited resources.
• A nurse-led service model is a feasible approach for delivering palliative care to children with serious illnesses.
• The program demonstrated success in addressing critical needs of children and their families.