International consensus on sleep problems in pediatric palliative care: Paving the way

International consensus on sleep problems in pediatric palliative care: Paving the way
[International] Sleep Medicine; by Anna Mercante, Judith Owens, Oliviero Bruni, Magda L. Nunes, Paul Gringras, Shirley Xin Li, Simonetta Papa, Ulrika Kreicbergs, Joanne Wolfe, Boris Zernikow, Ana Lacerda, Franca Benini, on behalf of the Pediatric Sleep and Palliative Care Group; 7/24
Sleep problems constitute a common and heterogeneous complaint in pediatric palliative care (PPC), where they often contribute to disease morbidity and cause additional distress to children and adolescents and their families already facing the burden of life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. Despite the significant impact of sleep problems, clinical evidence is lacking... This study addresses the need to personalize sleep medicine’s approach to the palliative care setting and its peculiarities. It provides the first international consensus on sleep problems in PPC and highlight the urgent need for global guidance to improve sleep-related distress in this vulnerable population and their caregivers. Our findings represent a crucial milestone that will hopefully enable the development of guidelines in the near future.
Publisher's Note: I am grateful that sleep issues are being studied and discussed more often, as they can be terribly disruptive to patients and family members.