Simultaneous Home-Based Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care: Characterizing the Population

Abstract

Background: Children and adolescents with serious conditions may benefit from simultaneous hospice and palliative care. Although the Affordable Care Act covers concurrent care, uptake has been limited. Limited descriptive data exist on receiving simultaneous community hospice and pediatric palliative care. Objective: Characterize a population of children and adolescents receiving simultaneous pediatric home-based hospice and palliative care (HBHPC). Design/Setting/Subjects:Post hoc analysis of retrospective study of N = 31 patients enrolled in pediatric HBHPC, with comparison to larger two-site sample receiving either hospice or palliative care at home. Measurement: Demographic and clinical data extracted from the electronic medical record. Results: Data characterizing the population receiving simultaneous care are presented; compared with those receiving either hospice or palliative care at home, the only significant differences were a greater proportion of decedent children and greater billable hours. Conclusions: Findings support the lack of meaningful distinction between hospice and palliative care in pediatrics.