An Overview of Pediatric Palliative Care

Abstract

Palliative care has long been a model of care that focuses on both patients with life-limiting illnesses and their family members. This is especially true in pediatrics where parents, siblings, grandparents and others are affected by a child’s illness. Yet, provision of pediatric palliative care around the world is scant. There are of course many reasons for this such as finances, lack of trained professionals, and a lack of general awareness by the public or policymakers. Despite these barriers, and many others, many countries have found ways to provide this care and those countries are both resource-rich and resource-poor. It is important for these countries to share their stories, which include valuable information on how barriers were overcome and programs were developed and implemented. Only through information dissemination will countries with no programs be able to learn from others and to identify strategies that they can use to help advance the pediatric palliative care movement worldwide.