Cystic Fibrosis and Other Childhood Lung Diseases

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis (CF) and other life-threatening childhood lung diseases offer many opportunities for integration of palliative care into routine care management throughout the life span. This chapter focuses on CF, with much of the content also applying to other childhood lung diseases, which are briefly reviewed. A summary of CF care delivery is described, with an emphasis on the unique aspects of the lived experience of individuals with CF. A model of collaborative primary and specialty palliative care, integrated into routine CF care, demonstrates how clinicians on CF care teams and palliative care specialists can work together throughout each phase of life to provide high-quality, comprehensive, and compassionate palliative care along the illness trajectory.