Palliative care for children: definition, content, and prospects (literature review)
Antonova A.A., Kashirskaya E.I., Kondratieva O.A.
The number of children requiring palliative care is steadily increasing. Pediatric palliative care is a relatively new field of medicine, bringing together specialists from various fields and volunteers. This article provides an analytical review of current issues and key aspects of the development of pediatric palliative care. Pediatric palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of children with severe, incurable non-oncological and oncological diseases, for whom rehabilitation options are limited or nonexistent. The article presents the main models of palliative care organization. In countries with high levels of economic development, inpatient models (particularly specialized children’s hospice facilities) predominate, characterized by significant resource intensity. In countries with limited financial resources, less expensive but proven effective models have become widespread, among which home palliative care holds a special place. An analysis of the legislative and regulatory framework is conducted. In the Russian Federation (RF), legal regulation of palliative care was implemented in 2011 with the adoption of Federal Law No. 323-FZ «On the Fundamentals of Health Protection of Citizens in the Russian Federation.» In accordance with the provisions of this regulatory act, palliative care was included in the system of types of medical care provided to the population. Further institutional development of the palliative care system occurred in 2012, when Order No. 1183n of the Russian Ministry of Health dated December 20, 2012, «On Approval of the Nomenclature of Positions for Medical and Pharmaceutical Workers» officially introduced the position of «Palliative Care Physician.» The distribution and course of life-threatening childhood diseases, which determine the fundamental differences in palliative care provided to children, are analyzed. A literature search using Scopus, Web of Science, MedLine, PubMed, and E-library databases was conducted.
For citations: Antonova A.A., Kashirskaya E.I., Kondratieva O.A. Palliative care for children: definition, content, and prospects (literature review). Pharmateca. 2025;32(9):75-81. (In Russ.). DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/pharmateca.2025.9.75-81
Authors’ contribution: All authors made an equivalent contribution to the preparation of the publication.
Conflicts of interest: The authors confirm that they have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding: The study was conducted without any sponsorship.
Keywords
palliative medicine
palliative care
quality of life
About the Authors
Alyona A. Antonova, Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor, Department of Hospital Pediatrics and Neonatology, Astrakhan State Medical University, Astrakhan, Russia; fduecn-2010@mail.ru, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2581-0408 (corresponding author)Elena I. Kashirskaya, Associate Professor, Dr. Sci. (Med.), Head of the Department of Hospital Pediatrics and Neonatology, Astrakhan State Medical University, Astrakhan, Russia; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4271-543X
Olga A. Kondratieva, Teacher, Medical College No. 9, St. Petersburg, Russia; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1660-3752
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