Referrals to a New Pediatric Palliative Care Team: Details of the First 12 Months of Operation

Background: Although the field of pediatric palliative care (PPC) remains in its infancy, over the past decade it has grown in practice and scope. We report on patient referral patterns to a new PPC team at a free-standing children's hospital. Objective: Our aim is to provide a descriptive comparison of the patient population seen by our new program as compared to existing literature. Methods: We examined our database of patient referral and demographic data and compared our data with published reports. Conclusions: Our team was operating beyond its predicted year-one volume with a patient population that mirrored larger, more established programs. In an era of growth and acceptance of PPC, hospitals that have undergone a strong needs assessment, significant educational effort, and have a strong prediction of patient volume should expect to be operating at projected capacity quickly.