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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2021 Jul 27.
Published in final edited form as: Arch Dis Child. 2016 Apr 21;101(10):984–7. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2015-309789

Table 1. Childhood conditions that may benefit from palliative care1,16 .

Group 1 Life-threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail. Palliative care may be necessary during periods of prognostic uncertainty and when treatment fails. There may be acute crises where palliative care input is required, but on reaching long-term remission or following a successful curative treatment, palliative care services are no longer needed.
Group 2 Conditions where premature death is inevitable. Includes conditions requiring long periods of intensive care aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in normal childhood activities.
Group 3 Progressive conditions without curative treatment options, where treatment is exclusively palliative and may commonly extend over many years.
Group 4 Irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability, leading to susceptibility to health complications and likelihood of premature death.