• Palliative medicine · Jun 2020

    Specialist paediatric palliative care for children and young people with cancer: A mixed-methods systematic review.

    • Johanna Taylor, Alison Booth, Bryony Beresford, Bob Phillips, Kath Wright, and Lorna Fraser.
    • Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK.
    • Palliat Med. 2020 Jun 1; 34 (6): 731-775.

    BackgroundSpecialist paediatric palliative care services are promoted as an important component of palliative care provision, but there is uncertainty about their role for children with cancer.AimTo examine the impact of specialist paediatric palliative care for children and young people with cancer and explore factors affecting access.DesignA mixed-methods systematic review and narrative synthesis (PROSPERO Registration No. CRD42017064874).Data SourcesDatabase (CINAHL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO) searches (2000-2019) identified primary studies of any design exploring the impact of and/or factors affecting access to specialist paediatric palliative care. Study quality was assessed using The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.ResultsAn evidence base of mainly low- and moderate-quality studies (n = 42) shows that accessing specialist paediatric palliative care is associated with less intensive care at the end of life, more advance care planning and fewer in-hospital deaths. Current evidence cannot tell us whether these services improve children's symptom burden or quality of life. Nine studies reporting provider or family views identified uncertainties about what specialist paediatric palliative care offers, concerns about involving a new team, association of palliative care with end of life and indecision about when to introduce palliative care as important barriers to access. There was evidence that children with haematological malignancies are less likely to access these services.ConclusionCurrent evidence suggests that children and young people with cancer receiving specialist palliative care are cared for differently. However, little is understood about children's views, and research is needed to determine whether specialist input improves quality of life.

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