Oral Presentation Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference 2022

The Collection and Analysis of Health Data to Inform the Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan (#41)

Alison P Bowers 1 , Gursharan Singh 1 , Natalie Bradford 1 , Stuart Ekberg 2 , Zoe Dettrick 3 , Katie Ekberg 4 , Anthony Herbert 5 , Alison McLarty 5 , Patsy Yates 1 6
  1. Cancer and Palliative Care Outcomes Centre, Centre for Healthcare Transformation, School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  2. School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  3. Research Methods Group, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  4. School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  5. Paediatric Palliative Care, Children's Health Queensland, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
  6. Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Introduction: Palliative Care Australia (PCA) and Paediatric Palliative Care Australia and New Zealand (PaPCANZ) have been funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health to collaboratively deliver a Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan.

The project commenced in July 2020 and will be conducted over three years. The activity work plan comprises 10 activities to address the project objectives, which are to:

  • Increase knowledge of gaps in adequate paediatric palliative care service provision and identify where additional services are needed.
  • Improve support and information resources for parents and children with a life limiting condition, the workforce in hospitals, and high care and palliative care providers.
  • Enhance practical assistance to children with high medical needs and life limiting conditions by coordinating a national approach.

Objectives: To report for children and young people aged 0 to 21 years, with a life-limiting condition eligible for palliative care:

  • The clinical and demographic characteristics of those, accessing hospital services, or who have died in Queensland, for the 2018 and 2019 calendar years.
  • The clinical and demographic characteristics of those who have not been referred to the specialist Children’s Health Queensland Paediatric Palliative Care Service, or who were referred late, for the 2018 and 2019 calendar years.
  • An estimate of prevalence for the 2018 and 2019 calendar years.
  • Potential strategies and recommendations for further research to overcome gaps and increase access to appropriate services for families.
  • The population profile.
  • The projected future number of children and young people who may benefit from paediatric palliative care services over the next 5 to 10 years.
  • The findings of regression models developed to explore referral to specialist palliative care services in Queensland.

Methods: Health administration data held by Queensland Statistical Services Branch (SSB), Children’s Health Queensland and Hummingbird House Children’s Hospice will be linked by and extracted by SSB. Children and young people will be identified by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification codes, as contained in the Hain’s Directory of Life-limiting Conditions.

Results: This project is ongoing.

Conflict of interest: Dr Bowers is a member of the 2022 PCNA Conference Organising Committee

Funding: This project is funded by the PCA & PaPCANZ partnership as part of the Paediatric Palliative Care National Action Plan Project.