Korean J Hosp Palliat Care.  2019 Mar;22(1):39-47. 10.0000/kjhpc.2019.22.1.39.

Palliative Care Practitioners' Perception toward Pediatric Palliative Care in the Republic of Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Integrative Care Hub, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea. mskim81@snu.ac.kr
  • 3Central Hospice Center, National Cancer Center, Ilsan, Korea.
  • 4College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
  • 5Department of Nursing, Suwon Women's University, Suwon, Korea.
  • 6Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study was performed to investigate the current status of pediatric palliative care provision and how it is perceived by the palliative care experts.
METHODS
A descriptive study was conducted with 61 hospice institutions. From September through October 2017, a questionnaire was completed by experts from the participating institutions. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0.
RESULTS
Among 61 institutions, palliative care is currently provided for pediatric cancer patients by 11 institutions (18.0%), all of which are concentrated in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi and Gyengsang provinces; 85.2% of all do not plan to provide specialized pediatric palliative care in the future. According to the experts, the main barriers in providing pediatric palliative care were the insufficient number of trained specialists regardless of the delivery type. Experts said that it was appropriate to intervene when children were diagnosed with cancer that was less likely to be cured (33.7%) and to move to palliative care institutions when their conditions worsened (38.2%); and it was necessary to establish a specialized pediatric palliative care system, independent from the existing institutions for adult patients (73.8%).
CONCLUSION
It is necessary to develop an education program to establish a nationwide pediatric palliative care centers. Pediatric palliative care intervention should be provided upon diagnosis rather than at the point of death. Patients should be transferred to palliative care institutions after intervention by their existing pediatric palliative care team at the hospital is started.

Keyword

Palliative care; Organizations; Child; Perception; Terminal care

MeSH Terms

Adult
Child
Diagnosis
Education
Gyeonggi-do
Hospices
Humans
Incheon
Palliative Care*
Republic of Korea*
Seoul
Specialization
Terminal Care
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