Search

In care patients; pneumonia is common due to being bedridden, atrophy of respiratory muscles and use of medical devices. Dyspnea is the second most common symptom after pain in pediatric palliative care. In this study, it was aimed to examine the relationship between the severity of dyspnea and pneumonia. The study is a study that included patients admitted to pediatric palliative care, diagnosed with pneumonia, and applied Modified Borg Scale (MBS) between December 15, 2019 and December 15, 2020. The MBS has a scoring system ranging from 0 to 10 and assesses the severity of dyspnea. A total of 72 (34.4%) patients diagnosed with pneumonia and underwent MBS were included in the study. 51.4% (n=37) of the study group were male, and the median age was 6.00 years (ranges of quarters=9). It was observed that the severity of dyspnea did not affect determining the pneumonia type and possible pathogen (p=0.613, p=0.948, respectively) In line with the results of the study, it can be concluded that there is no relationship between the severity of dyspnea and pneumonia in patients in need of care.

Introduction:In recent years, advances in technology and medicine have led to an increase in the number of children with chronic diseases, while reducing the mortality rates of pediatric patients. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the general characteristics and hospitalizations of pediatric patients receiving health care at home from our hospital.Methods:The study was carried out at the University of Health Sciences Turkey, İzmir Dr. Behçet Uz Children’s Hospital. The cases registered to the home health services unit between 2012 and 2018 were evaluated retrospectively. The demographic features, diseases, medical devices and technological dependence and hospitalization information of these patients were accessed from the hospital registration system. Data were recorded on SPSS program and evaluated statistically.Results:The average age of 124 patients enrolled in the home health services unit was 8.4 (0.6-17.8) years, and 56.5% were male. 71.8% of the patients were diagnosed with a primary neurological disease, especially cerebral palsy. Tracheostomy was present in 31.5% of the patients and 25% were receiving respiratory support by mechanical ventilation. Gastrotomy was present in 12.9% of the patients. While policlinic applications of those with primary neurological disease were significantly higher (p=0.04) compared to the patient group other than neurological disease, hospitalization rates were similar (p>0.05).Conclusion:The neurological group of patients, including pediatric patients with medical devices and technology dependence, is the main group among the patients who are monitored in the home health care unit. Specialized pediatric palliative care services need to be opened and developed in order to meet the medical, psychological and social needs of these patients and to reduce the workload and occupancy of special units such as intensive care.

INTRODUCTION: Pediatric palliative care is the highest level of care aimed at improving the quality of life of all children and families with life-limiting and threatening diseases. Characteristics of children needing pediatric palliative care in Turkey is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics and needs of children at pediatric palliative care. METHODS: Following the approval of local ethics committe, hospital records of children followed up at Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Hospital pediatric palliative care between November 2018 and November 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 97 patients were included into the study with a mean age of 5,2 +- 4,6 (0,3-17) years, and 53,6% (n = 48) of them were male. The most common diagnosis was cerebral palsy with 39.2% (n = 38) and congenital metabolic diseases with 20.6% (n = 20). The most common reason for hospitalization was lung infection (61.9%) and the most frequently used drugs were antibiotics (70.1%). In the first 7 days of hospitalization, the need for mechanical ventilator and child intensive care was significantly different (p = 0,020 and p = 0.020, respectively). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Children with a wide range of disorders, including cerebral palsy, metabolic disorders and muscle disorders, need pediatric palliative care. Lung infection is the most common reason for hospitalization, and patients who are hospitalized should be followed up more closely in the early period.

Introduction:Pediatric palliative care is the highest level of care aiming to improve the quality of life of all children and families with life-limiting and threatening diseases. The knowledge and awareness of pediatricians about pediatric palliative care in our country is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and awareness level of pediatricians in the field of pediatric palliative care.Methods:The study was planned as a prospective study following the approval of Local Ethics Committee of Dr. Behçet Uz Children’s Hospital. Totally 217 pediatricians answered the questionnaire completely. The data obtained from the survey questions were uploaded to the SPSS program and statistical analysis was performed.Results:Of the 217 pediatricians who participated in the study, 67.3% were women and 59.4% were specialist physicians. 68.7% of the physicians were employed in education and research hospitals and 7.4% in private institutions. It was found that pediatricians heard about pediatric palliative care (p=0.002), but they thought it was less necessary when its effect on quality of life, analgesia and sedation use was questioned.Conclusion:Pediatric palliative care is a new field in our country. It was found that most of the participants heard about pediatric palliative care because they worked in education and research hospital but they did not know the content. In the coming years, we believe that increasing the number of centers and training will increase the knowledge level of pediatricians.

Due to the increase in the number of children and families with life-threatening or limiting disease, palliative care has been accepted as a special area in medicine. Pediatric palliative care is a top-level care system that focuses on improving the quality of life for the child and family, taking care of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. The purpose of this review is to define the properties of pediatric palliative care with differences from adults and to discuss palliative care models including the role of medical professionals.