Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2020
Mapping paediatric palliative care development in the WHO-European region: Children living in low-middle income countries are less likely to access it.
Approximately 170,000 children in need of palliative care die every year in Europe without access to it. This field remains an evolving specialty with unexplored development. ⋯ PPC provision is flourishing across the region; however, development is less accentuated in low-to-middle-income countries. Efforts need to be devoted to the conceptualization and definition of the models of care used to respond to the unmet need of PPC in Europe. The question whether specialized services are required or not should be further explored. Strategies to regulate and cover patients in need should be adapted to each national health system.