Peer-reviewed article
Facilitators and barriers for interdisciplinary collaboration in pediatric palliative care: A cross-sectional survey.
Kemna MM, Engel M, De Graaf E, Verhagen AAE, Teunissen SCCM et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study surveyed 208 healthcare professionals about their experiences collaborating in pediatric palliative care. The research identified 15 facilitators of good teamwork (such as clear roles and family involvement) and 6 barriers (mainly poor communication and weak organization). Healthcare workers reported high satisfaction with care coordination overall, but the study recommends strengthening organizational structures and improving professionals' awareness of each other's roles.
Key points
- 15 facilitators for interdisciplinary collaboration identified, including role clarity, task flexibility, and family participation
- 6 barriers identified, mainly insufficient communication, limited evaluation, and inadequate organization
- High satisfaction reported with care coordination, continuity, and quality of care
- Effective collaboration involved active engagement with home care nurses, Children's Palliative Care Teams, and lead clinicians
- Recommendation to strengthen organizational structures and enhance awareness of professionals' roles across settings
Limitations
This study focuses on healthcare professionals' perceptions of collaboration in completed cases of deceased children, but does not examine outcomes for children and families themselves or directly measure the impact of collaboration on care quality or child well-being.
Abstract
Background Pediatric palliative care requires input from various healthcare professionals to meet the changing needs of children and their families. Effective interdisciplinary collaboration across care settings is essential to ensure continuity and quality of care. Aim To identify facilitators and barriers for interdisciplinary collaboration within pediatric palliative care as perceived by diverse healthcare professionals. Design Cross-sectional survey in which participants reflected on their most recent pediatric palliative care case, using the Index of Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and reported their satisfaction with care coordination, continuity, and quality in this case. Setting/participants Physicians, nurses, and paramedical professionals in home care, regional, and academic hospitals who had provided palliative care within the previous 3 years. As pediatric palliative care may extend over a longer period, participants reflected on collaboration during the entire care process for a now-deceased child. Results In total, 208 healthcare professionals participated. Fifteen facilitators and six barriers were identified. Facilitators included role clarity, task flexibility, family participation, and the perceived importance and added value of interdisciplinary collaboration and included active collaboration with home care nurses, Children's Palliative Care Teams and lead clinicians. Barriers related mainly to insufficient communication, limited evaluation, and inadequate organization of interdisciplinary collaboration. Satisfaction with care coordination, continuity and quality was high. Conclusion Improving interdisciplinary collaboration in pediatric palliative care requires strategies that strengthen organizational and managerial structures, while actively engaging both experienced and less experienced professionals across different care settings. Enhancing awareness of each other's roles, needs, and capacities is essential to foster more effective interdisciplinary collaboration.