Palliative medicine
-
Palliative medicine · Mar 2024
ReviewImproving family grief outcomes: A scoping review of family-based interventions before and after the death of a child.
Experiencing the illness and death of a child is a traumatic experience for the parents and the child's siblings. However, knowledge regarding effective grief interventions targeting the whole family is limited, including how to integrate age-appropriate support for siblings. ⋯ There is great need for research to improve bereavement outcomes for the entire family and to potentially integrate this in pediatric palliative care.
-
Palliative medicine · Mar 2024
Experiences of music therapy in paediatric palliative care from multiple stakeholder perspectives: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.
Children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families need physical and emotional support to manage the challenges of their lives. There is a lack of synthesised qualitative research about how music therapy is experienced by children, young people and their families supported by paediatric palliative care services. ⋯ Music therapy provides unique benefits for this paediatric population particularly in supporting child and family wellbeing. The therapeutic relationship, interpersonal skills of the therapist and experience in paediatric palliative care are perceived as central to these positive outcomes.
-
Palliative medicine · Mar 2024
What are the triggers for palliative care referral in burn intensive care units? Results from a qualitative study based on healthcare professionals' views, clinical experiences and practices.
Burns are a global public health problem, accounting for around 300,000 deaths annually. Burns have significant consequences for patients, families, healthcare teams and systems. Evidence suggests that the integration of palliative care in burn intensive care units improves patients' comfort, decision-making processes and family care. Research is needed on how to optimise palliative care referrals. ⋯ This study identifies triggers for palliative care in burn intensive care units based on professionals' views, clinical experiences and practices. The systematisation and use of triggers could help streamline referral pathways and strengthen the integration of palliative care in burn intensive care units. Research is needed on the use of these triggers in clinical practice to enhance decision-making processes, early and high-quality integrated palliative care and proportionate patient and family centred care.
-
Palliative medicine · Mar 2024
'My life is a mess but I cope': An analysis of the language children and young people use to describe their own life-limiting or life-threatening condition.
Children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions have multidimensional needs and heterogenous cognitive and communicative abilities. There is limited evidence to support clinicians to tailor their communication to each individual child. ⋯ Children and young people can provide rich descriptions of their condition. Paying attention to their lexical choices, and converging one's language towards theirs, may enable more child-centred discussions. Expanding discussions about 'what matters most' with consideration of the losses and differences they have experienced may facilitate a fuller assessment of their concerns, preferences and priorities.