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Structure and Development of Hospital-Based Perinatal Palliative Care Programs

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Perinatal Palliative Care

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Abstract

In the field of palliative care, perinatal palliative care (PPC) is one of the newest arenas. PPC programs provide ongoing care for families who are pregnant with a fetus with a chronic or life-limiting fetal condition (LLFC). Care begins at the onset of diagnosis, through gestation and birth of the infant, into the neonatal period, and includes support at time of death and bereavement. As recently as 2007, few organized services were available for this vulnerable population, but the development of PPC programs has evolved significantly over the past 15 years. The PPC team is interdisciplinary, with each member serving a vital and separate but integrated role. This chapter will describe the recent development and structure of a PPC programs and the key roles of team members. We will also discuss strategies for formation and growth of a program based on the literature and the authors’ collective experience.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Christiana Care Health Services, Newark, DE, USA

    Barbara A. Dean

  2. Christiana Care Health Services, Department of Labor & Delivery, Newark, DE, USA

    Melanie Chichester

  3. Christiana Care Health Services, Department of Pediatrics, Newark, DE, USA

    Laurie Hewlett-Miller

  4. High Risk Unit (PSCU) & Clinic, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Christiana Care Health Services, Newark, DE, USA

    Vanita D. Jain

  5. Sidney Kimmel SOM, Thomas Jefferson University, Newark, DE, USA

    Vanita D. Jain

  6. Perinatal Special Care Unit, Clinic & Antenatal Step-Down, Christiana Care Health System, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Newark, DE, USA

    Vanita D. Jain

  7. University of Rochester Medical Center/Strong Memorial Hospital, Department of Medicine, Division of Palliative Care, Rochester, NY, USA

    Erin M. Denney-Koelsch

  8. Pediatric Palliative Care, St Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Michael L. Spear

  9. St Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Drexel University College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Michael L. Spear

Authors
  1. Barbara A. Dean
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  2. Melanie Chichester
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  3. Laurie Hewlett-Miller
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  4. Vanita D. Jain
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  5. Erin M. Denney-Koelsch
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  6. Michael L. Spear
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael L. Spear .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Erin M. Denney-Koelsch

  2. School of Nursing, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO, USA

    Denise Côté-Arsenault

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Dean, B.A., Chichester, M., Hewlett-Miller, L., Jain, V.D., Denney-Koelsch, E.M., Spear, M.L. (2020). Structure and Development of Hospital-Based Perinatal Palliative Care Programs. In: Denney-Koelsch, E., Côté-Arsenault, D. (eds) Perinatal Palliative Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34751-2_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34751-2_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-34750-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-34751-2

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