The New and Changing Landscape of Children Receiving Pediatric Palliative Care in the US

Abstract

Pediatric palliative and hospice care (PPC) is now firmly established as a clinical discipline across multiple countries. The evidence base to support PPC practice has grown considerably over the past two decades, but many gaps in knowledge persist. In this chapter, the authors briefly review the history of foundational PPC research that began more than 50 years ago. They then discuss the current state of PPC research related to the patient experience, the family experience, communication studies, symptom-directed interventions, outcome measure development, and systems of care. The chapter ends by highlighting areas in need of further study.