Palliative care in pediatrics: a humanized approach to children with life-limiting conditions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2025v7n5p1750-1762Keywords:
Children, Palliative Care, Quality of LifeAbstract
Introduction: Palliative care in pediatrics represents an essential approach to improving the quality of life of children with life-limiting conditions, providing relief from physical, emotional and spiritual suffering, as well as support for the family. Given the complexity of these conditions, it is necessary to adopt humanized practices, centered on active listening, empathy and individualized care. Methodology: This is a descriptive integrative literature review. The PICo strategy was used to formulate the guiding question. The search was carried out on the LILACS, SciELO, PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus databases, using the descriptors “Children”, “Palliative Care” and “Quality of Life”, combined by the Boolean operator AND. Full articles published between 2020 and 2025, in Portuguese or English, were included. After screening 667 publications, 15 studies made up the final sample. Results and Discussion: The analysis revealed that pediatric palliative care, although expanding, still faces barriers such as insufficient training of professionals, mistaken association with terminality and lack of structured protocols. The humanized approach proved to be effective in improving the quality of care, promoting relief from suffering, strengthening the therapeutic bond and greater acceptance of the family. Home-based interventions and interdisciplinary actions were also associated with improved clinical and emotional outcomes. Conclusion: The adoption of humanized palliative care is essential to ensure ethical, compassionate and child- and family-centred care. Team training and the early introduction of palliative care favor a more dignified, welcoming illness process with a higher quality of life.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Myrella Evelyn Nunes Turbano, Cristiano Borges Lopes , Helry Anderson Martins de Andrade , Giovana Silva Dalmaso , Júlia Soares Andrade, Joana D’arc Resende , Stephanie Miranda Freitas , Ferdnan Pinheiro Rodrigues , Maria Luiza Alencar Lima, José de Ribamar Ramos neto, Fernanda Aparecida Fontes da Cunha Lopes, Marcela Santis Pessoa , Carolina Monteiro Scandiuzzi, Sheila Calixto Silva de Albuquerque, Victória Oliveira Serrati
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