Pediatric Advanced Care Team | Overview
The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) is a team of interdisciplinary clinicians with expertise in pediatric palliative care, who add an extra layer of support to the care of children with serious illness and their families.
Our PACT caregivers support patients, families, and their primary healthcare teams in decision making and advanced care planning, easing pain and symptoms, coordinating home care, and addressing any specific issues your family may be facing.
Our specialists keep the lines of communication open between families and health care providers, so you have the information you need to make decisions. We are here to help.
Our expertise
Pediatric palliative care refers to treatments intended to optimize the quality of life and promote healing and comfort for children with life-threatening illness. Some of the support we provide includes:
- optimizing pain and symptom management
- advocating family and health care provider communication
- coordinating inpatient, outpatient, and home care
Our Pediatric Advanced Care Team consults with you, your family, and your primary care team to bring together the information and guidance needed to make the best health care decisions for your child.
We bring together experts from a wide variety of disciplines in order to care for your child. Our care team includes:
- physicians with advanced training in palliative care
- nurse practitioner with extensive experience providing pediatric palliative care
- other pediatric care specialists as needed
- social worker with expertise in psychosocial support and community resources
- dedicated pastoral services
At Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, we consider you and your child integral parts of the care team and not simply recipients of care. You and your team will work together to customize a plan of care for your child.
Who we treat
Pediatric palliative care is most often delivered to children who need help managing condition-related symptoms that impose limitations on their life. This includes children who are facing any life-threatening medical condition. Some of the patients the Pediatric Advanced Care Team has supported have had:
- cancer
- cystic fibrosis
- seizure disorders
- heart disease
- disorders of prematurity
- genetic or metabolic conditions
This is not an exhaustive list. If your child's condition is not listed above, please contact us to learn how we may be able to help your child.
