Palliative care in pediatric hematological oncology patients: experience of a tertiary hospital

Objective:To evaluate the approach to palliative care for hematological oncology patients in the pediatric ward of a tertiary hospital.Methods:This was a retrospective, descriptive study of 29 hematological oncology patients who died between 2009 and 2011. Data regarding the approach and prevalence of pain, prevalence of other symptoms, multidisciplinary team participation, communication between staff and family and limited invasive therapy were collected from the medical records.Results:Twenty-seven (93.1%) patients displayed disease progression unresponsive to curative treatment. The median ...