Keeping Hope Possible Toolkit: The Development and Evaluation of a Psychosocial Intervention for Parents of Infants, Children and Adolescents with Life Limiting and Life Threatening Illnesses

Utilization of the Keeping Hope Possible Toolkit with parents of children with life limiting and life threatening illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring pediatric nurses and allied healthcare provider opinions

BACKGROUND

For families with children diagnosed with complex illnesses, the COVID-19 pandemic added many challenges. In order to mitigate inevitable disruptions in pediatric care settings, caregivers may need added supports and resources. The Keeping Hope Possible (KHP) Toolkit is a self-administered intervention intended to enhance caregiving experiences of parents with a child with multiple needs. However, little is known about effectively disseminating the Toolkit.

PURPOSE AND METHODS

A qualitative, thematic analysis was conducted to explore the opinions and perceptions of pediatric nurses and allied healthcare providers (HCPs) in relation to the dissemination and use of the KHP Toolkit for use by families with complex medical needs. Structured interview data were analyzed from a sample of seven pediatric HCPs working in various care settings in one Canadian province.

FINDINGS

Five themes were developed including: Recognising Importance of the KHP Toolkit; Needing Support and Direction; Implementation and Use of the KHP Toolkit; Realizing Important Considerations for Success; and, Emphasizing Connection through Isolated Times.

DISCUSSION

Participants recognized the importance of the KHP Toolkit for parents and extended family in a variety of settings to encourage self-care, daily structure, and connectedness. Thus, pediatric nurses' awareness and openness to the initial dissemination of the Toolkit is essential, and a subsequent interprofessional team approach will ensure consistent reminders and support for families.

APPLICATION TO PRACTICE

Careful assessment of family readiness for learning about and using the KHP Toolkit is essential, along with an interprofessional approach to consistent inquiry and support at each family encounter.

Hope in the context of life-threatening illness and the end of life

Recent research shows the importance of hope in the context of life-threatening illness and the end of life for patients and their families. While some patients and family members continue to hope for a cure or extending life, others may develop more complex hopes related to quality of life and making the most of the time left. Clinicians often worry about taking hope away with bad news about the patient's prognosis, but patients and family members often appreciate honesty without losing hope. Clinicians should recognize that hopes in the context of serious, progressive illness may be complex, contradictory, culturally based, and evolve over time. Recent interventions have been developed to support hope for these patients, caregivers, and parents.

Palliative Care in Children With Advanced Heart Disease in a Tertiary Care Environment: A Mini Review

Palliative care for children continues to evolve. More recently, this has also been true in the field of pediatric cardiology, particularly for children with advanced heart disease. In these children, similarly to children with cancer, treatment successes are offset by the risks of long-term morbidities, including premature death. This mini review aims to provide an overview of current knowledge on children suffering from advanced heart disease, their medical care during various phases of illness (including the palliative and end-of-life phase), symptom burden, experiences of parents, prognostic understanding of parents and physicians, and current status of the involvement of pediatric palliative care. In conclusion, the suffering of these children at the end of their young lives is pronounced and many parents feel prepared neither for medical problems nor for the child’s death. An effective and mutually trusting partnership between pediatric cardiology and pediatric palliative care would appear to be a prerequisite for the timely involvement of palliative care in further supporting these children and their families.