Paediatric palliative care and paediatric intensive care

Caring until the end: a systematic literature review exploring Paediatric Intensive Care Unit end‐of‐life care

“…A quarter stated that in retrospect they would make decisions differently. The loss of control which faces parents of children admitted to PICU is well documented within the literature, whereas feeling 'in control' is recognized as fundamental to effective parent 'coping' and a 'well managed' death can ease future grief for families (Longden, 2012). Meyer et al (2002) highlighted that members of PICU staff can quickly become a family's major support mechanism, which then disappears after a child's death.…”

“…A quarter stated that in retrospect they would make decisions differently. The loss of control which faces parents of children admitted to PICU is well documented within the literature, whereas feeling ‘in control’ is recognized as fundamental to effective parent ‘coping’ and a ‘well managed’ death can ease future grief for families (Longden, ).…”

“…Staff suggested that PICU was not an ideal environment for EOLC as privacy could not be assured and a unit where a child and family could stay together would be beneficial. The concept of PICU providing an inadequate environment for effective EOLC frequently occurs in current literature (Cavaliere, ; Longden, ). Wolff and Wolff () argue that keeping a child in hospital for EOLC results in them being in an unfamiliar environment and deprives them from contact with family, friends and pets.…”

Exploration of Iranian intensive care nurses' experience of end‐of‐life care: a qualitative study*

“…Some nurses' experiences of end‐of‐life care are that it can be effective and compassionate (Beckstrand and Kirchhoff, 2005). More recently, there is evidence that end of care pathways have contributed to far more effective care and greater sense of hope for nurses and the families for whom they care (Longden, 2012).…”

What's in this issue?

“…In her editorial, Longden (2012) examines the issue of palliative care in paediatric intensive care and makes a case for the distinctiveness of paediatric practice for children with life‐limiting illness. However, there are a number of quality measures that can be applied to end‐of‐life care planning in adult intensive care units (ICUs).…”