Abstract
Palliative care in children has been emerging as a clinical subspecialty of paediatrics
for many years. It requires the knowledge and experience of a paediatrician, combined
with the skills of a palliative care specialist. Both are essential, as a paediatrician
may not have advanced knowledge of palliative care and a palliative care specialist
is unlikely to be familiar with the complexity of working with families where the
child is the patient. This paper reviews recent literature and discusses advances
in the development of palliative care services for children and young people with
incurable cancer. It highlights key areas where paediatric palliative care differs
from that of adults and outlines the barriers to providing palliation and conducting
evidence-based research in children and young people dying from cancer.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 14, 2008
Accepted:
February 25,
2008
Received:
February 18,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
