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Pediatric palliative care

Social awareness

There is great unfamiliarity with the WHO definition of pediatric palliative care. And therefore also a lack of embedding of this definition in policy and funding. This creates bottlenecks in the lives of children and families and in the transition from child care to adult care. For example, according to the WHO, pediatric palliative care starts with diagnosis and not only in the last phase of life. Palliative care is therefore not the same as palliative terminal care. An image that is persistently present not only in healthcare, but also in our society. The aim is to create a care landscape that, in terms of policy, funding system and support structure, is appropriately designed for the target group and, just like the families concerned, knows what palliative care for children entails (understanding the WHO definition). So that incurable diseases in children and young people can be discussed openly, ethical dilemmas in healthcare can be discussed and relevant issues can be discussed in the consultation rooms of healthcare providers and at home.