PCQC Update

What Children Can Teach: The Importance of Growing the Palliative Care Quality Collaborative for Pediatrics

Jori Bogetz, MD FAAP, and Rachel Thienprayoon, MD MSCS FAAP FAAPHM

A child's illness extends far beyond the individual child to include their parents, siblings, family system, and community. Furthermore, the impact of a child's serious illness or death can cast ripples throughout a lifetime for their loved ones. Thus, though the number of children with serious illness is small compared to adults, the impact of pediatric palliative care (PPC) in these patients' lives can be critical and long-lasting, and lessons from caring for these children can be imparted to all who practice palliative care—regardless of the age of the patient.