Bereaved parents’ perspectives of factors influencing decision-making about place of end-of-life care for children with life-limiting, life-threatening conditions: an all-Ireland qualitative study
Ashleen Crowe, Rachel McCauley, Yvonne Corcoran, Joanne Reid, Jayne Price, Gemma Kiernan, Eileen Courtney, Tracey McConnell, Patricia McNeilly & Veronica Lambert
BMC Palliative Care
School of Nursing, Psychotherapy and Community Health
Abstract

The need for children’s palliative care and end-of-life services is increasing. However, there is limited evidence to inform health and social care professionals about parental preferences for place of end-of-life care for their child, or on factors influencing families in deciding on their preferred place of death for their child. The aim of this study was to explore factors which influence parental decision-making in relation to place of end-of-life care for children with life-limiting, life-threatening conditions, with respect to experiences of end-of-life care in different settings (i.e., home, hospital, hospice).