Palliative
Care in Children – an EAPC Task Force
Background
The New Palliative Care in Children EAPC Taskforce was established
in Autumn 2006 following the recognition, by EAPC, of an international
initiative involving 18 palliative care experts promoted by
the Maruzza Lefebvre D’Ovidio Foundation, the Livia
Benini Foundation and the No Pain for Children Association.
The meeting was known as IMPaCCT (International Meeting on
Palliative Care for Children, Trento) its aim was to discuss
the existing situation of care availability, practices and
delivery in different European countries and to develop standards
for palliative care in children in Europe. The outcome was
the publication of a unified document defining and identifying
standards of care for children with life-limiting and life
threatening illness, recommending their implementation in
all European countries.
Aims
and Objectives
The purpose of the ‘EAPC
Taskforce: Palliative Care in children’
is to build on the work already accomplished and to devise
concrete proposals for the reform and improvement of existing
Palliative Care practices for infants, children and adolescents,
regardless of age, type of pathology, cultural, social and
economic background.
Its
main aims are:
- To raise awareness of the need of Palliative Care in Children
for Europe.
- To identify the minimum standards of care.
- To create a European network of Paediatric Palliative Care
professionals
Short term objectives:
1) The translation and extensive dissemination of IMPaCCT
document.
2) The publication of guidelines aimed at policy makers and
stake holders.
The Taskforce is currently working on a document that, through
systematic and comprehensive analysis of scientific evidence,
anecdotal experience, suggestions and contributions from leading
international experts, will formulate recommendations for
health care professionals and policy makers involved in the
development and improvement of Paediatric Palliative Care
Services in Europe.
Long
term objectives:
1) To develop clinical guidelines for paediatric palliative
care for health care professionals.
2) To constitute a European observatory for paediatric palliative
care.
2) To promote multi-centred research related to palliative
care in children
Members
The steering group:
Franca Benini M.D (Co-chair)
Consultant in Paediatric Pain and Palliative Care
Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua - Padua, Italy
Huda
Abu-Saad Huijer RN, PhD, FEANS (Co-chair)
Professor of Nursing Science
Director School of Nursing, American University of Beirut
- Beirut, Lebanon
Finella
Craig M.D.
Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Care
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS - London U.K.
Franco
De Conno MD.
Honorary Director EAPC
National Cancer Institute, Milano Italy
Leora
Kuttner Ph.D. (Reg. Psyc)
Clinical Psychologist & Clinical Professor of Pediatrics.
B.C. Children’s Hospital & University of British
Columbia -Vancouver, BC, Canada
Chantal
Wood M.D.
Consultant in Paediatric Pain and Palliative Care Pain Unit
Hôpital Robert Debré - Paris, France
Paolo Cornaglia Feraris M.D.
Scientific Director of the Maruzza Lefebvre D’Ovidio
Foundation - Rome, Italy
Boris
Zernikow, MD, PhD
Director of the Vodafone Foundation Institute of Children’s
Pain Therapy and Pediatric Palliative Care, Children`s Hospital
Datteln, Witten /Herdecke University - Datteln, Germany
Observers:
Prof. Vittorio Ventafridda
Scientific Director, Fondazione Floriani, Milan, Italy
Participation
and funding
This task force is supported by:
Contact
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the Task
Force please contact the Taskforce Secretary at international@maruzza.org
|
