P alliative medicine emerged as a specialty 40 years ago. As is the case for all paediatric specialties, palliative medicine for children cannot be simply replicated from the adult model, but must be developed taking into account the... more
P alliative medicine emerged as a specialty 40 years ago. As is the case for all paediatric specialties, palliative medicine for children cannot be simply replicated from the adult model, but must be developed taking into account the practice and experience of paediatricians. Palliative care for children and young people with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions embraces physical, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual aspects. Its goal is to enhance the patient's quality of life and to help the family, by managing symptoms and providing psychosocial care, respite care and bereavement support. Paediatric palliative care has developed from the hospice philosophy to offer a complement or alternative to curative treatment in children with advanced, complex and progressive disease, and to provide care for those in the terminal phase. Paediatric palliative care should be provided from the time of diagnosis and during the whole disease trajectory; it may need to be provide...
