Care for children in advanced and/or terminal stage of his disease in primary care: literature review

Abstract

Introduction: Palliative care emerged through the work of Cicely Saunders. To provide such care, she created hospices and introduced the concept of “total pain” to address the complexity of patient suffering. Years later, palliative care was introduced in Spain by Marcos Gómez Sancho and, there was created the Organizational Model as a system to deliver care effectively. Paediatric palliative care was, years later, also originated through Cicely Saunders. In Spain, there is currently no specific regulation for paediatric palliative care, although there are some references that address it. In primary care, palliative assistance is provided to all individuals regardless of age, in line with the Alma-Ata Declaration.

Objective: Knowing the children´s holistic care in their advanced and terminal stages of their illness at the primary care setting.

Metodology: This work is a narrative and scientific literature review. 21 studies were used from various databases: CuidenPlus, PubMed, the Spanish Ministry of Health, the Andalusian Regional Ministry of Health, PedPal, World Health Organization, ASPANION, the Regional Institute of Health Management, the Spanish Association of Palliative Care Nursing and Google Scholar.

Conclusions: Paediatric palliative care is aimed at children in their terminal stage of illness and their families. This type of care is increasingly in demand, and primary care serves as the first point of access for patients and their families. Therefore, primary care nursing plays a key role in assessment and provides both standardized and individualized care plans to ensure quality care.