Enhancing Pediatric Palliative Care for Latino Children and Their Families: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Research and Practice in the United States

Sara Muñoz-Blanco; Jessica C Raisanen; Pamela K Donohue; Renee D Boss

doi:10.3390/children5010002

Enhancing Pediatric Palliative Care for Latino Children and Their Families: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations for Research and Practice in the United States

Children (Basel). 2017 Dec 22;5(1):2. doi: 10.3390/children5010002.

Authors

Sara Muñoz-Blanco¹, Jessica C Raisanen², Pamela K Donohue^{3

4}, Renee D Boss^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. smunozb1@jhmi.edu.
² Clinical Ethics, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. jraisan1@jhu.edu.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. pdonohue@jhmi.edu.
⁴ Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. pdonohue@jhmi.edu.
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. rboss1@jhmi.edu.
⁶ Clinical Ethics, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. rboss1@jhmi.edu.

Abstract

As the demand for pediatric palliative care (PC) increases, data suggest that Latino children are less likely to receive services than non-Latino children. Evidence on how to best provide PC to Latino children is sparse. We conducted a narrative review of literature related to PC for Latino children and their families in the United States. In the United States, Latinos face multiple barriers that affect their receipt of PC, including poverty, lack of access to health insurance, language barriers, discrimination, and cultural differences. Pediatric PC research and clinical initiatives that target the needs of Latino families are sparse, underfunded, but essential. Education of providers on Latino cultural values is necessary. Additionally, advocacy efforts with a focus on equitable care and policy reform are essential to improving the health of this vulnerable population.

Keywords: Latino health; children with medical complexity; chronic illness; pediatric palliative care.

Publication types

Review