Publication
Pediatric palliative care in low-income and middle-income countries: A systematic review on current status and future directions
Keerthana S, Kubendran A · Médecine Palliative · 2025
Objective Pediatric palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for children afflicted with life-threatening illnesses and differs significantly from adult palliative care. Pediatric palliative care activities in low- and middle-income countries are insufficient compared to those in high-income countries. This review paper aims to explore the challenges of pediatric palliative care in low- and middle-income countries. Method Articles that are based on pediatric palliative care published between 2010 to 2023 were selected from three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed based on distinct search terms. Using the PRISMA guidelines, the articles were selected for review. Qualitative synthesis using thematic analysis was done in the selected articles describing the challenges of pediatric palliative care in low-income and middle-income countries. Result In all, 15 articles were chosen for review from 575 articles. The articles were analyzed thematically and two main themes and six sub-themes were derived. The two main themes are ‘status of PPC’ and ‘challenges of PPC implementation in LMICs’. The six sub-themes derived under this main theme are ‘PPC infrastructure in LMICs’, ‘PPC infrastructure in India’, ‘public perception and knowledge’, ‘lack of resources, ‘lack of education and training’, and ‘lack of national policies and programs’. Conclusion Integrating pediatric palliative care into the basic healthcare system is essential to the progress and health-related growth of low- and middle-income countries. Creating policies and programs specifically dedicated to pediatric palliative care would also be a crucial step. Further research is necessary in this field to address the challenges and current gaps in knowledge.
Synced from the TRENDS in Pediatric Palliative Care Zotero library, curated by The Siden Research Team. ICPCN does not host or verify the full text.