Pediatric home-based palliative care and hospice: Characterizing and comparing the populations

Pediatric home-based palliative care and hospice: Characterizing and comparing the populations
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Ben Reader, Sibelle Aurelie Yemele Kitio, Steven M Smith; 9/25
Home-based palliative care (HBPC) and hospice programs offer support for children with complex life-shortening conditions. However, there is little comparison of the characteristics and care trajectories of children and young adults enrolled in HBPC versus hospice, particularly across different age groups. Of 113 participants, hospice recipients were younger (median 2 vs. 7 years; ...), more likely to have an oncologic diagnosis, and had a higher mortality during the study period (69.6% vs. 22.1%; ...). HBPC participants had more hospital admissions, longer inpatient stays, and more outpatient visits. Subgroup analyses of children ≥1 year revealed diagnosis and code status differences, with hospice participants more likely to have 'allow natural death' orders and experience a code status change.