Palliative Care for Newborn Infants

Abstract

Palliative care is referred to as ‘organization of end-of-life care’ and describes a holistic and active care approach for the patient and family with physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects. Pediatric palliative care has entered the global agenda and its use has started in pediatric hospitals in the 1990s. Pediatric palliative care is now also being used in some children with chronic and life-limiting or threatening conditions in our country. The survival rate of children has increased thanks to medical and technological developments and pediatric palliative care is now used more frequently in practice. The number of neonates requiring palliative care has also increased with decreasing neonatal mortality rates in recent years. Palliative care of the neonate with a life-limiting condition begins at the time of diagnosis, and continues during the child’s life, at the moment of death and afterwards. Palliative care consists of the maintenance of an effective and comprehensive approach focusing on the newborn and his/her family. This article discusses the neonatal palliative care approach and the recommendations in practice

Keywords

• Palliative care, Newborn

Yenidoğanlarda Palyatif Bakım

Abstract

Palyatif bakım kısaca ‘yaşam sonu bakımın organizasyonu’ olarak adlandırılmakta, hasta ve ailesine yönelik fiziksel, duygusal, sosyal ve spiritüel yönleri olan aktif, bütüncül bir bakım yaklaşımını tanımlamaktadır. Dünyada pediatrik palyatif bakım 1990 sonlarında gündeme gelmiş ve çocuk hastanelerinde uygulanmaya başlamıştır. Ülkemizde ise pediatrik palyatif bakım kronik ve yaşamı sınırlayıcı ya da tehdit edici hastalığı olan çocuklar düşünülerek gündeme gelmiş, tıbbi ve teknolojik gelişmelerle yaşatılan çocuk oranlarının artmasıyla pratikte daha sık kullanılmaya başlamıştır. Son yıllarda yenidoğan mortalite hızlarındaki azalmayla birlikte palyatif bakım gereksinimi olan yenidoğanlarda da artış olmuştur. Yaşamı sınırlayıcı durumu olan yenidoğanın palyatif bakımı, tanı anından itibaren çocuğun yaşamı, ölüm anı ve sonrasındaki bakıma etkin ve kapsamlı bir yaklaşım olup çocuk ve aile odaklıdır ve ihtiyaç temellidir. Yazıda yenidoğanlarda palyatif bakım uygulamalarıyla ilgili yaklaşım ve öneriler yer almaktadır.

Keywords

• Palyatif bakım, Yenidoğan

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