Journal focuses on pediatric end-of-life care

The journal Pediatrics takes on the hard-to-take topic of end-of-life care for children in its March issue, with a study indicating that palliative care is sorely lacking. Researchers sent questionnaires to nearly 100 parents who had recently lost children, asking what could have been done to make this worst possible time of their lives more tolerable. Among the suggestions were good communication with and the whole truth from doctors; emotional support; a part in the decision-making process; and access to staff members. The study reports that more than 55,000 children die in the U.S. each year, half of them in their first year of life. ... Sometimes, children's end-of-life experiences can involve significant struggle, as parents and doctors disagree on when hope is appropriate and when all is lost. Read more about euthanasia and disabilities, "futile" care, and what parents want from doctors and hospitals.