Pediatric Palliative Symptom Management
Posted by Dr. Julia Harder
This final article in our pediatric series will focus on the management of some of the most common non-pain symptoms encountered in pediatric palliative care. Research is notoriously lacking in this area, so much of what is done in pediatric palliative care is derived from the general pediatric population, from adult palliative care, or simply from clinical experience.
Specific symptom complexes that are addressed include: anxiety & depression, agitation, insomnia, anorexia-cachexia, nausea-vomiting, constipation, and dyspnea. Specific medication strategies will be presented for managing each of these troubling symptoms in pediatric hospice patients.
