Pediatric Ethics Consultation Services.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Although guidelines call for the presence of pediatric ethics consultation services (PECS), their existence in children's hospitals remains unquantified. This study determined the prevalence of PECS in children's hospitals and compared the practice environments of those with versus without PECS. METHOD: The Children's Hospital Association Annual Benchmark Report survey from 2020 and PECS data were analyzed for the association of PECS with domains of care. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-one hospitals received survey requests, with 148 submitted and 144 reachable to determine PECS (62% response rate), inclusive of 50 states. Ninety-nine (69%) reported having ethics consultation services. Freestanding children's hospitals (28% of all hospitals) were more likely to report the presence of PECS (P <.001), making up 41% of hospitals with a PECS. The median number of staffed beds was 203 (25th quartile 119, 75th quartile 326) for those with PECS compared with 80 for those without (25th quartile 40, 75th quartile 121). Facilities with palliative care, higher trauma ratio, intensive care, and comprehensive programs were more likely to have PECS. Academic affiliation was associated with PECS presence (P <.001). Settings associated with skilled nursing facilities or long-term care programs were not more likely to have PECS. Hospitals designated as federally qualified health centers (P = .04) and accountable care organizations (P = .001) were more likely to have PECS. CONCLUSION: Although PECS function as formal means to clarify values and mitigate conflict, one-third of children's hospitals lack PECS. Future research is needed to understand barriers to PECS and improve its presence.

Palliative Care Programs in Children's Hospitals.

BACKGROUNG AND OBJECTIVES: This study determined the prevalence of PPC programs in the United States and compared the environment of children's hospitals with and without PPC programs. METHODS: Analyses of the multicenter Children's Hospital Association Annual Benchmark Report 2020 survey for prevalence of PPC programs and association with operational, missional, educational, and financial domains. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-one hospitals received Annual Benchmark Report survey requests with 148 submitted (64% response rate) inclusive of 50 states. One hundred nineteen (80%) reported having a PPC program and 29 (20%) reported not having a PPC program. Free-standing children's hospitals (n = 42 of 148, 28%) were more likely to report the presence of PPC (P = .004). For settings with PPC programs, the median number of staffed beds was 185 (25th quartile 119, 75th quartile 303) compared with 49 median number of staffed beds for those without PPC (25th quartile 30, 75th quartile 81). Facilities with higher ratio of trauma, intensive care, or acuity level were more likely to offer PPC. Although palliative care was associated with hospice (P <.001) and respite (P = .0098), over half of facilities reported not having access to hospice for children (n = 82 of 148, 55%) and 79% reported not having access to respite care (n = 117 of 148). CONCLUSIONS: PPC, hospice, and respite services remain unrealized for many children and families in the United States. Programmatic focus and advocacy efforts must emphasize creation and sustainability of quality PPC programs in smaller, lower resourced hospitals.