Role of Child Life Specialists in Pediatric Palliative Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 735-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratna B. Basak ◽  
Rashmi Momaya ◽  
Junjing Guo ◽  
Pooja Rathi
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Child Life ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care ◽  
Child Life Specialists

scholarly journals Child Life Specialists in Pediatric Hospital Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 05 (03) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Kokila Jeyamurugan ◽  
◽  
Ratna B Basak ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Palliative Care Team ◽  
Child Life ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care ◽  
Pet Therapy ◽  
Pediatric Hospital ◽  
Child Life Specialists ◽  
Form Part

Child life specialists (CLS) are trained providers who form part of a pediatric multidisciplinary and pediatric palliative care team. Their role is invaluable to mitigate the stress and anxiety of children during hospitalization. They may use various strategies in children like play, art and music therapy and pet therapy, to help self-express and cope with painful procedures.We present a brief narrative on CLS with a case of a 10- year- old Hispanic boy who had metastatic osteosarcoma.The case illustration is from a prior institute that one of the coauthors was associated with.

Using social robot PLEO to enhance the well-being of hospitalised children

2020 ◽  
pp. 136749352094750
Author(s):  
Clara J Moerman ◽  
Rianne ML Jansens
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Social Robot ◽  
Child Life ◽  
Physical Stimulation ◽  
Child Life Specialists ◽  
Children And Parents ◽  
Play Material ◽  
Multiple Case

Hospitalisation is stressful for children. Play material is often offered for distraction and comfort. We explored how contact with social robot PLEO could positively affect a child’s well-being. To this end, we performed a multiple case study on the paediatric ward of two hospitals. Child life specialists offered PLEO as a therapeutic activity to children in a personalised way for a well-being related purpose in three to five play like activity sessions during hospital visits/stay. Robot–child interaction was observed; care professionals, children and parents were interviewed. Applying direct content analysis revealed six categories of interest: interaction with PLEO, role of the adults, preferences for PLEO, PLEO as buddy, attainment of predetermined goal(s) and deployment of PLEO. Four girls and five boys, aged 4–13, had PLEO offered as a relief from stress or boredom or for physical stimulation. All but one started interacting with PLEO and showed behaviours like hugging, caring or technical exploration, promoting relaxation, activation and/or making contact. Interaction with PLEO contributed to achieving the well-being related purpose for six of them. PLEO was perceived as attractive to elicit play. Although data are limited, promising results emerge that the well-being of hospitalised children might be fostered by a personalised PLEO offer.

scholarly journals The Role of Resilience in the Sibling Experience of Pediatric Palliative Care: What Is the Theory and Evidence?

Children ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Chin ◽  
Tiina Jaaniste ◽  
Susan Trethewie
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Family System ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Disease Trajectory ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Family ◽  
Palliative Care Services

Siblings of children with life limiting conditions (LLC) are an important part of the broader family system and require consideration in the holistic care of the family. There can be considerable variation in the functioning and adjustment of these siblings. The current paper explores the resilience paradigm, particularly in the context of siblings of children with LLC and serious medical conditions. The potential impact of children living with a seriously ill brother or sister will be overviewed, and a range of functional outcomes considered. Factors contributing to sibling resilience are detailed, including individual, family, and broader external and social factors. Given the limited research with siblings of children with LLC, literature has also been drawn from the siblings of children with serious and/or chronic medical conditions. Implications for clinical practice and future research are considered. Pediatric palliative care services may be well placed to contribute to this body of research as they have commonly extended relationships with the families of children with LLC, which span across the child’s disease trajectory.

scholarly journals E03-C The Role of the Emergency Department in Pediatric Palliative Care

2016 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. e40
Author(s):  
Anne-Josée Côté ◽  
Nathalie Gaucher ◽  
Antoine Payot
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
Pediatric Palliative Care

Child life interventions in paediatric pain

2013 ◽  
pp. 543-549
Author(s):  
Chantal K. LeBlanc ◽  
Christine T. Chambers
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Child Life ◽  
Hospitalized Children ◽  
Child Life Specialist ◽  
Psychosocial Needs ◽  
Child Life Specialists ◽  
And Coping

Child life specialists, as members of the health care team, are frequently involved in the assessment and management of pain in hospitalized children and children in emergency settings. Child life refers to a non-medical therapeutic service designed to address the developmental, educational, and psychosocial needs of paediatric patients. Child life specialists are professionals who ‘promote effective coping through play, preparation, education, and self-expression activities. They provide emotional support for families, and encourage optimum development of children facing a broad range of challenging experiences, particularly those related to healthcare and hospitalization’ (Child Life Council, 2012a), including painful procedures and coping with other types of pain (e.g. postoperative pain). This chapter provides an overview of the role of a child life specialist, including a historical perspective on the evolution of the field and current child life practices. The chapter then provides a summary of the specific contributions of child life specialists to pain assessment and management, including innovative uses of technology often facilitated by child life specialists.

The Importance of Child Life and Pain Management During Vascular Access Procedures in Pediatrics

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 144-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail A. Heckler-Medina
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Vascular Access ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Child Life ◽  
Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter ◽  
Central Catheter ◽  
Child Life Specialists

Abstract The author asks of the reader: Have you ever been called to start a peripheral intravenous (IV) catheter or place a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) in a child, and you wished someone else could do it? Performing vascular access procedures on children is considered by many one of the most stressful and difficult jobs. This article discusses the role of certified child life specialists (CCLSs) and some of the techniques used to assist children in coping with painful procedures as well as the necessity for proper assessment and pain management. The goal of this article is to eliminate the uncertainty of performing these procedures on pediatric patients. By making a few changes in your practice, one could dramatically increase successful outcomes and improve the overall quality of care provided to the patient.

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