Standards and Medical Procedures for Pediatric Palliative Home Care in Hospices for Children Standards for Perinatal Palliative Care

The Minister of Health may by regulation set the standards of medical procedures in selected areas of medicine or regarding selected healthcare providers, in order to guarantee a proper quality of healthcare services (Article 22 par. 5 of the law from 15 April 2011 on healthcare activity; OJ, 19 January 2018, 160)

The present publication is dedicated to the Minister of Health. Our objective is to convince that “a proper quality of healthcare services” in perinatal and home hospices for children in Poland is necessary and must be provided. 

Why?

Perinatal and pediatric palliative care are new areas of perinatology and pediatrics. They are still marginalized, and consequently devoid of a proper specialist supervision. Such supervision requires prior standardization and methodology of evaluation of the quality of services. 

The present situation resulting from the current Regulation of the Minister of Health raises serious doubts whether perinatal and pediatric palliative care is not confused with paramedical activities. 

The fact that the abovementioned areas are mainly specialty of NGOs should not hamper the introduction of regulations aiming at raising them to the rank of professional medicine. 

Authors