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Aim: Following the establishment of paediatric palliative care services over recent decades, this study sought to identify information to inform future policy and practice. Methods: A rapid review using thematic synthesis was conducted to synthesise existing information about improving paediatric palliative care. Information was extracted in relation to key areas for investment and change: quality, access, advance care planning, skills, research, collaboration and community awareness. Results: A total of 2228 literature sources were screened, with 369 included. Synthesised information identified clear ways to improve quality of care, access to care, advance care planning, and research and data collection. The synthesis identified knowledge gaps in understanding how to improve skills in paediatric palliative care, collaboration across Australian jurisdictions and community awareness. Conclusions: The findings of this review bring together information from a vast range of sources to provide action-oriented information to target investment and change in paediatric palliative care over the coming decades.

The development of a paediatric palliative care workforce, models of care, and research evidence has advanced rapidly in recent decades. This provides a solid foundation for further development of paediatric palliative care in Australia. This project, commissioned by Palliative Care Australia, involved a literature review to inform the development of a National Paediatric Palliative Care Action Plan (hereafter ‘National Action Plan’). The National Action Plan will be based on evidence and consultation with key stakeholders. There were three key requirements for this literature review: 1. Synthesise peer-reviewed and ‘grey’ literature containing information about enhancing paediatric palliative care. 2. Structure the review according to key topics. 3. Use the results of the review to identify key questions that can be used by Palliative Care Australia to develop a discussion paper for consultation with key stakeholders. A rapid review using thematic synthesis methods was conducted to synthesise information in peer-reviewed and ‘grey’ literature about improving paediatric palliative care. Systematic searches for peer-reviewed literature were conducted in Medline, CINAHL, and Embase, and a search for ‘grey’ literature was conducted using Google Advanced Search. These searches were supplemented with additional literature sources identified by members of the project team and steering committee. A total of 2,228 literature sources were screened, with 369 sources deemed to meet criteria for inclusion in the review. A customised tool was created to facilitate consistent extraction of information from each literature source. Given the aim of the review, only information that clearly identified ways to improve paediatric palliative care was extracted. The extracted information was then synthesised across eight key topics. The synthesis process identified key information about each topic, as well as key questions for future consultation with