Policy Advocacy to Advance Pediatric Palliative Care; A Call for Action

Approximately 55,000 pediatric deaths occur annually in the United States. Estimates suggest that more than half of all pediatric deaths occur in a hospital. Within hospitals most of those deaths happen in a critical care unit, such as the pediatric intensive care unit or the neonatal intensive care unit. The death of a child will never be easy to accept or manage. Healthcare professionals, policy makers and all advocates for children can and must do more to integrate palliative care for any child living with a life limiting illness.