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Review

Moral Distress and Pediatric Palliative Care

by
Sunny Jeong
1,
Angela Knackstedt
1,2,
Jennifer S. Linebarger
3 and
Brian S. Carter
1,4,*
1
Bioethics Center, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
2
Department of Nursing, Office of Equity and Diversity, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
3
Division of Pediatric Palliative Care, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy-Kansas City, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
4
Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Humanities & Bioethics, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Children 2024, 11(7), 751; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070751
Submission received: 29 January 2024 / Revised: 31 May 2024 / Accepted: 14 June 2024 / Published: 21 June 2024
(This article belongs to the Collection Pediatric Palliative Care Update)

Abstract

Moral distress is a complex phenomenon whereby a person feels tension, constraint, or conflict with an action or circumstance because it goes against their individual or the perceived collective (e.g., community, organizational, or professional association’s) moral stance. In pediatric healthcare settings, managing and mitigating feelings of moral distress can be particularly difficult to navigate through because of the intricate dynamics between the pediatric patient, parent and/or legal guardians, and clinicians. The proactive integration of an experienced pediatric palliative care (PPC) team can be an appropriate step toward reducing clinicians feeling overwhelmed by various case-specific and team management issues that contribute to the development of moral distress among healthcare professionals. Based on our experiences in a free-standing, quaternary pediatric hospital, the involvement of PPC can help reframe the approach to challenging situations, enhance communication, and provide guidance to the care team, patients, and families. Moreover, PPC teams can benefit other multidisciplinary team members through education on respecting the plurality of values of diverse families and patients and consideration of ethical implications during morally challenging situations.
Keywords: pediatric palliative care; moral distress; communication; consultation; ethics pediatric palliative care; moral distress; communication; consultation; ethics

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Jeong, S.; Knackstedt, A.; Linebarger, J.S.; Carter, B.S. Moral Distress and Pediatric Palliative Care. Children 2024, 11, 751. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070751

AMA Style

Jeong S, Knackstedt A, Linebarger JS, Carter BS. Moral Distress and Pediatric Palliative Care. Children. 2024; 11(7):751. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070751

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jeong, Sunny, Angela Knackstedt, Jennifer S. Linebarger, and Brian S. Carter. 2024. "Moral Distress and Pediatric Palliative Care" Children 11, no. 7: 751. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070751

APA Style

Jeong, S., Knackstedt, A., Linebarger, J. S., & Carter, B. S. (2024). Moral Distress and Pediatric Palliative Care. Children, 11(7), 751. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11070751

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