Early introduction of palliative care beneficial to pediatric patients with sarcomas
Pediatric patients who received palliative care early were able to continue treatment, and patriciate in clinical trials, according to a new study.
In this study, 41 patients with CNS tumors or sarcomas, were referred to a virtual palliative care team operating outside of the hospital that initiated conference calls to discuss problems patients may be experiencing. Compared with the clinical records of patients who died prior to the start of the study, more patients working with palliative care died at home or in hospice. Overtime, the duration of palliative care increased. During the first year of the study, no patient in the study died in an intensive care unit.
Reference
Podda M, Schiavello E, Visconti G, et al. Customized pediatric palliative care: Integrating oncological and palliative care priorities [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jun 16]. Acta Paediatr. 2020;10.1111/apa.15415. doi:10.1111/apa.15415