Purpose To explore nurses’ perceptions of end-of-life care in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, focusing on the components, facilitators, and challenges of such care in daily practice.
Methods A qualitative descriptive study was conducted. Data were collected from June to October 2023 through semi-structured individual interviews with 17 nurses from the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units of four tertiary general hospitals in a metropolitan area of South Korea, and were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques.
Results We identified three themes and nine subthemes: (1) supporting families’ emotional and relational closure, (2) perceiving relational and systemic support as enabling end-of-life care, and (3) feeling constrained by systemic and practical challenges. Participants perceived fostering an emotional connection with the child, ensuring opportunities for meaningful farewell, and supporting emotional acceptance of death as ways to support families’ emotional and relational closure with their child. Although relational and systemic support, such as collaborative teamwork, clear communication, shared planning, and structured tools, enabled compassionate care, participants also felt unprepared, burdened by heavy workloads, and hindered by environmental barriers.
Conclusion The findings highlight that delivering quality end-of-life care in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units requires supporting families’ emotional needs, strengthening relational and systemic support, and addressing practical challenges. Further research is needed to develop and test practical strategies (e.g., specialized education in compassionate communication, standardized protocols, and supportive care environments) that can improve the quality of end-of-life care for neonatal and pediatric patients and their families.
Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs for pediatric palliative care (PPC) among parents of children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) and to investigate differences in the needs for PPC according to their general characteristics.
Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 28 and May 18, 2018. Parents (N=96) who had a child under 18 years with a CCC were recruited. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA.
Results The overall average need for PPC was 3.58±0.33 out of 4.00. In terms of care for the subjects' children, the highest need was physical care, followed by psychosocial and spiritual care. In the sub-dimensions, preservation of physical function received the highest score. Of the items, the highest need was for seizure control. In terms of care for the subjects themselves, the highest need was for psychosocial care, followed by bereavement and spiritual care. In the sub-dimensions, communication received the highest score. Of the items, the highest need was for smooth communication with medical staff. Differences in needs for PPC according to participants’ general characteristics were not statistically significant.
Conclusion Medical staff should provide PPC according to the priorities of parents’ perceived needs.
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