Palliative care for children and adolescents between theory and practice: Where are we in Serbia?

Abstract

This article comprises three aims. First aim refers to introducing our professional milieu to the basic concepts and philosophy of palliative care for children and adolescents. Second aim points out to the importance of multidisciplinary and comprehensive care (physical, psycho-social and spiritual) in palliative care in general, and particularly among pediatric patients. Third aim was to critically consider various obstacles and resistance that exists in our environment regarding the organization of palliative care for children and young people, through the prism of various models of palliative care for children and adolescents around the world, particularly in Europe and in the regional countries. Palliative care of children is a special area closely related to the palliative care of adults. It involves the active and comprehensive care of the body, mind and spirit of the child, providing the necessary psycho-social support to the affected child and the family during all the phases of facing the incurable disease, from the diagnosis to the end of the period of grief over the loss of a family member. In a wider sense, palliative care can improve the quality of life allowing the alleviation of symptoms and pain control, adequate psycho-social, psychotherapeutic and spiritual support from the moment of the diagnosis to the end of the patient's life. In addition to that, it also provides psychological support to family members grieving after the loss of a family member. Palliative care of children can be conducted in hospices (special centers organized accordingy to the needs of severely ill children and their families), in regional centers, as well as at children's homes.