Increasing trend and effects of pediatric palliative care on children with non-cancer diagnoses

Article

CHEN, Szu-Han | WU, En-Ting | WANG, Ching-Chia | YU SU, Min- | CHANG, Chin-Hao | CHEN, Huey-Ling | LU, Frank Leigh | CHENG, Shao-Yi

Objectives: Pediatric palliative care (PPC), especially among noncancer pediatric patients, faces challenges including late referral, limited patient care, and insufficient data for Asian patients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the integrative hospital medical database between 2014 and 2018 to analyze the clinical characteristics, diagnoses, and end-of-life care for patients aged less than 20 who had died in our children's hospital, a tertiary referral medical center implementing PPC shared-care. Results: In our cohort of 323 children, 240 (74.3%) were noncancer patients who a younger median age at death (5 vs. 122 months, P < 0.001), lower rate of PPC involvement (16.7 vs. 66%, P < 0.001), and fewer survival days after PPC consult compared to cancer patients (3 vs. 11, P = 0.01). Patients not receiving PPC had more ventilator support (OR 9.9, P < 0.001), and less morphine use on their final day of life (OR 0.1, P < 0.001). Also, patients not receiving PPC had more cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the last day of life (OR 15.3, P < 0.001) and died in the ICU (OR 8.8, P < 0.001). There was an increasing trend of noncancer patients receiving PPC between 2014 and 2018 (P < 0.001). Conclusions: High disparities exist between children receiving PPC in cancer versus noncancer patients. The concept of PPC is gradually becoming accepted in noncancer children and is associated with more pain-relief medication and less suffering during end-of-life care.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2023.05.018

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