Santini Anna, Avagnina Irene, Affinita Maria C, Zanin Anna, Benini Franca
Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Service, Department of Women's and Children's Health, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant, Department of Women's and Children's Health, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
Front Oncol. 2024 Jul 25;14:1397983. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1397983. eCollection 2024.
The literature widely supports the benefits of early integration of palliative care into pediatric oncological care; however, many barriers to its successful integration remain. Integrating palliative care as early as possible in the oncology pathway is critical, but other criteria are relevant to positive results. This paper aims to contribute to the early/late referral dualism in pediatric palliative care (PPC) and highlight the importance of a collaborative approach between oncologists and palliative care teams. This study investigates the impact of early versus late referral to PPC, intersecting it with the synergy work between services and the related outcomes. The four pediatric cancer cases were selected based on clinical (e.g., disease duration, multiple treatments, and pain management), management (e.g., involvement of multiple services and multiple home-hospital transitions), and relevance of multidisciplinary team (e.g., difficult clinical decisions and ethical discussions) criteria. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining qualitative case analysis using clinical diaries, literature review, and practice guidelines development. Critical clinical information, time course, clinician-family communication, and patient involvement were analyzed. The outcomes show how simultaneous care creates continuous discussion and dialogue between professionals. The results indicate the importance of better communication and care coordination to improve patient and family satisfaction, highlighting the uniqueness of the pediatric field and the relationship with children and families. Through the discussion of clinical cases and a literature review, we provide practical guidance for clinicians working in oncology and PPC. These findings underscore the crucial need for a multidisciplinary approach in pediatric oncology, advocating policy changes to support early PPC integration and translate it into complementarity best operating practices. In conclusion, besides assessing the timeliness of referral to the PPC service, the synergy, harmony, and choral work of the professionals involved are equally valuable for a quality-of-life-oriented care plan.
文献广泛支持将姑息治疗尽早纳入儿童肿瘤治疗的益处;然而,其成功整合仍存在许多障碍。在肿瘤治疗路径中尽早整合姑息治疗至关重要,但其他标准对取得积极成果也很重要。本文旨在探讨儿童姑息治疗(PPC)中早期/晚期转诊二元论,并强调肿瘤学家与姑息治疗团队之间协作方法的重要性。本研究调查了早期与晚期转诊至PPC的影响,并将其与服务之间的协同工作及相关结果相结合。根据临床标准(如疾病持续时间、多次治疗和疼痛管理)、管理标准(如多个服务部门的参与和多次家庭 - 医院转诊)以及多学科团队的相关性标准(如艰难的临床决策和伦理讨论)选择了四个儿童癌症病例。采用了混合方法,结合使用临床日记的定性案例分析、文献综述和实践指南制定。分析了关键临床信息、时间进程、临床医生与家属的沟通以及患者参与情况。结果显示了同步护理如何在专业人员之间产生持续的讨论和对话。结果表明,更好的沟通和护理协调对于提高患者和家属满意度很重要,突出了儿科领域的独特性以及与儿童和家庭的关系。通过对临床病例的讨论和文献综述,我们为从事肿瘤学和PPC工作的临床医生提供了实用指导。这些发现强调了儿童肿瘤学中多学科方法的迫切需求,倡导政策变革以支持早期PPC整合并将其转化为互补的最佳操作实践。总之,除了评估转诊至PPC服务的及时性外,参与其中的专业人员的协同、和谐及合唱式工作对于以生活质量为导向的护理计划同样有价值。