Written By: IJCP Editorial Team

Published On: 11 Jun, 2022 2:13 PM | Updated On: 18 May, 2024 5:06 AM

Using EmPalPed-An Educational Toolkit on Essential Messages in Palliative Care and Pain Management in Children-As a Strategy to Promote Pediatric Palliative Care

Most children living in low- and middle-income countries need palliative care (PC). Colombian healthcare professionals (HCPs) know very less about pediatric palliative care (PPC) as PPC is not included in their educational curricula. Thus, specific training for HCPs to enhance their knowledge as well as easy access to PC for children and their families is required. 

Hence a group of researchers organized and conducted the Essential Messages in Palliative Care and Pain Management in Children (EmPalPed), an educational toolkit. 

This toolkit included a 5-h virtual workshop for pediatric HCPs dealing with life-threatening conditions. The toolkit had five critical domains: (1) PC since it directly communicates the concept of quality of life (QoL), (2) influential communication, (3) prioritizing pain management, (4) furnishing end-of-life care, and (5) access to high-quality PC as a fundamental human right. 

• Various activities were included in the workshop to make it effective. 
• This workshop trained 145 HCPs from 22 centers. 
• The ability of HCPs regarding the attitude and knowledge about communication, pain evaluation, first-line opioid of choice in children, and palliative sedation improved greatly after the workshop.

Thus the EmPalPed educational toolkit can effectively raise awareness regarding PPC and provide training in many of the key aspects of PPC. 

García-Quintero X, Claros-Hulbert A, Tello-Cajiao ME, Bolaños-Lopez JE, Cuervo-Suárez MI, Durán MGG, Gómez-García W, McNeil M, Baker JN. Using EmPalPed—An Educational Toolkit on Essential Messages in Palliative Care and Pain Management in Children—As a Strategy to Promote Pediatric Palliative Care. Children. 2022; 9(6):838. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9060838