Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Caring for Children in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units

Over the past several years, pediatric critical care units increasingly count on the expert advisement of palliative care specialists. Given the limited availability of pediatric palliative care specialists, all palliative care clinicians may be required to care for pediatric patients and their families. Special considerations in caring for these patients include the relative importance of prognosis, involvement of child life, music and pet therapy, incorporation of parents in end-of-life rituals, care for siblings, use of medical technology, and prolonged duration of stay. The following top 10 tips provide recommendations for caring for seriously ill infants, children, adolescents, and the families of these critically ill pediatric patients. They are written by pediatric intensive care providers to address common issues around palliative care in intensive care units.