When to Call Us

For Medical Providers

When to call us When should a medical team consider a pediatric palliative care consultation?

For pain (or other symptoms) that don’t respond to simple measures
For support of a child and family with an anticipated difficult course (e.g., a newly diagnosed child with cancer, an extremely premature infant, an infant with a serious cardiac abnormality)
For discussion with a child, family and medical team what the goals, priorities and values of the family are and what medical interventions can help to meet those goals
When a fresh perspective is needed by family and/or staff
For the difficult transition from curative to purely comfort care
To support staff in dealing with challenging patients and families

When should a family consider asking for a pediatric palliative care consultation?

When your child is having pain or other symptoms for which current approaches are not working
If your child has been diagnosed with a serious medical condition and you would like an additional layer of support to help with symptoms, communication and navigating the health care system
When there are hard decisions to make and you are just not sure what to do (for example, a new medication, putting in a feeding tube, doing a tracheostomy)
For help understanding the medical situation and making sure you are getting the same message about what’s going on from everyone who takes care of you
If you would just like an extra shoulder to lean on