Pediatric Palliative Care and Hospice Program Development in 2016: Strategies for Success in an Ever-Expanding World (P09)

Describe 3 approaches to enhance collaboration between palliative care and cancer researchers. Successful integration of palliative care with oncologic care requires an understanding of specific challenges, opportunities, and strategies. Among challenges, the taskofmeetingpalliative careneedswhile supportingpatients, families, and clinicians who wish to continue cancer-directed treatment, including experimental therapies, is especially complex. Rapid developments in oncologic therapies with better outcomes for some malignancies may make it harder to establish realistic and appropriate goals of care. Other important issues include the appropriate distribution of responsibilities for palliative care within the healthcare team, so that not only are the contributions of clinicians across disciplines and professions valued, optimized, and coordinated, but also that patients with cancer receive the benefits of both generalists and specialists in palliative care. Effective collaboration between palliative care and cancer researchers is essential to enhance the evidentiary foundation for integrated care and to ensure attention to the palliative needs of patients participating in clinical trials. In addition, the development of innovative strategies is neededaswemakeprogress in educating the clinical workforce, including oncologists, other generalists, andpalliative care specialists toprovidepalliative care together with cancer care. Models of integration of palliative care in oncologymust fit the needs of patients, families, and providers in community settings (inpatient and outpatient), where most cancer care in the US is delivered, as well as in academic referral centers. Finally, in our rapidly changing healthcare environment, palliative caremust be paired with cancer care in ways that are appropriate across different systems for reimbursement, including distinctive systems that apply in some care hospitals. In the proposed workshop, we will bring together individuals with relevant expertise from across the country to provide an interprofessional perspective, help participants think about key topics, and engage them in envisioning the future for palliative care at the forefront of cancer care.