Families´ Experiences in Pediatric Palliative Care

Abstract

Children with a severe illness usually have a great impact on all of the family members. The goal of pediatric palliative care is to improve both the child´s and family´s quality of life. Parents are at the core of the patient´s wellbeing and supporting the siblings of the patient is also an essential part of pediatric palliative care. Therefore, the patient´s parents and siblings should be engaged to participate in all the phases of the patient´s care and should be instructed according to the child´s wishes and age. Additionally, the healthcare providers and parents provide the care for the child together and operate together to offer best care for the child. The aim of this study was to determine from different academic research what kind of support families have experienced during pediatric palliative care. The purpose of this study was to offer evidence-based data that can be used by healthcare workers for improving support for families during pediatric palliative care. Literature review was selected as a research method for this study. Data was retrieved from CINAHL and PubMed databases. This study demonstrated three main themes of families´ experiences during their child in pediatric palliative care: availability of healthcare professional support, various support services available, and emotional and psychosocial support.