Estimating the Global Need for Palliative Care for Children: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Abstract

The estimation of need for CPC is a critical step in meeting the needs of children with life-threatening conditions and provides a sound platform to advocate for closure of the unacceptably wide gaps in coverage.

Symptoms and Concerns Among Children and Young People with Life-Limiting and Life-Threatening Conditions: A Systematic Review Highlighting Meaningful Health Outcomes

“…Recent global estimates have set the annual number of young people that need palliative care at any point during their disease trajectory at 21 million, with 8 million requiring some form of specialist palliative care. 4 For high income countries, such as the UK and America, prevalence of LLC in young people is increasing 5 with most deaths caused by trauma, congenital conditions, extreme prematurity, and other acquired illness. 6 In resource-limited settings, the case mix of young people with LLC also includes conditions such as HIV which continues to pose a public health concern and is typically accompanied by a high symptom burden (e.g.…”

“…The current delivery of palliative care for young people typically runs parallel to existing health care systems, without integration of the existing and speciality services. 4 The provision of quality care to young people with LLC requires the critical establishment of robust evidence on the symptoms and concerns that matter to the patients and their families. 12 Despite the need for this evidence, there is currently limited information on meaningful outcomes for young people with LLC.…”

Meeting the needs of young adults with life‐limiting conditions: A UK survey of current provision and future challenges for hospices

“…The needs of young adults with LLCs are diverse and involve complex life‐long symptom, medication management and palliative care (Noyes et al., ). It is estimated that 21 million children and young people between 0–19 years of age could benefit from accessing palliative care worldwide (Connor, Downing, & Marston, ). Due to medical advances, the number of 16–19‐year olds with palliative care needs in the UK has increased by 45% over the past decade leading to an increasing number surviving into adulthood (Marie Curie, ).…”

Exploring learners’ perspectives of a Project ECHO palliative care education curriculum in resource-limited settings in light of key learning theories

“…life-limiting conditions and their families, by addressing physical, psychosocial and spiritual concerns (1,2). Globally, an estimated 21 million children require palliative care annually, with 98% of these children living in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) where access to palliative care is often very limited (3). Developing palliative care programs to relieve the burden of preventable suffering for children with life-threatening or life-limiting illnesses in LMICs has been identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a global priority (4,5).…”