Reflecting on palliative care for children, young people and their families: a revised model

Abstract

The unique needs of children requiring palliative care and their families have been increasingly recognised on a global scale. The complexities of such care, the unpredictability of the illness trajectory and increased choice in terms of where care is provided has led to challenges for nurses/practitioners striving to provide optimal care for these families. Working in partnership with children and families and reflecting on practice are key issues in providing care and support. Reflective models are frequently used as a tool for two reasons: firstly, to reflect on practice with the aim of quality improvement; secondly, to help practitioners explore difficult or challenging aspects of care negotiated with families. Here, the authors report on a specialised model that has been developed and updated for use within children's palliative care. For reasons of confidentiality, a fictitious case study is used to illustrate how this model could be implemented during a debriefing session following the death of a child. While more research is needed, initial trials of the model by the authors suggests that using specialised reflective models and frameworks can help to facilitate such discussions in children's palliative care.