Pediatric palliative care: beyond the end of life.

Palliative care is an emerging nursing specialty and is developing a dedicated spot in the field of pediatrics. As a specialty, palliative care focuses on quality of life and symptom management for patients who are living with chronic and life-threatening diseases. In pediatrics, advances in health care mean that many children are living longer with these conditions and could benefit from services that focus on quality of life and superior symptom management. Palliative care can be provided concurrently with curative therapies and is philosophically similar yet distinct from hospice services.