Improving the Quality of End-of-Life Care in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Parents' Priorities and Recommendations
PEDIATRICSPublished 1 March 2006
Elaine C. Meyer, Marilyn D. Ritholz, Jeffrey P. Burns, Robert D. Truog
Citations446
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Despite recognition that dying children and their families have unique palliative care needs, there has been little empirical inquiry of parent perspectives to improve the quality of end-of-life care and communication. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the priorities and recommendations for end-of-life care and communication from the parents' perspective. METHODS: This was a qualitative study based on parental responses to open-ended questions on anonymous, self-administered questionnaires, conducted at 3 pediatric ICUs in Boston, Massachusetts. Fifty-six parents whose children had died in PICUs after withdrawal of life support participated in this study. We measured parent-identified priorities for end-of-life care and communication. RESULTS: Parents identified 6 priorities for pediatric end-of-life care including honest and complete information, ready access to staff, communication and care coordination, emotional expression and support by staff, preservation of the integrity of the parent-child relationship, and faith. CONCLUSIONS: Parental priorities and recommendations offer simple yet compelling guidance to improve pediatric end-of-life clinical practice and research.
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Medicine
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