Canuck Place physician, Dr. Peter Louie (left) and Dr. Qutiabah Alotaibi, a pediatric palliative fellow.supplied
Canuck Place is launching a global pediatric palliative care research and innovation hub
In the face of a growing need for pediatric palliative care (PPC) globally, the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice clinical team in Vancouver, British Columbia, is committed to sharing knowledge and expertise with physicians from countries that currently lack adequate support and resources for children and families living with life-threatening conditions.
The rise in demand for PPC in Canada is a benchmark for how the need is increasing worldwide. “In the last six years, Canuck Place has seen a 34 per cent increase in the number of children and families requiring PPC,” says Canuck Place physician Dr. Peter Louie. “We have also seen a 94 per cent increase in outpatient care including in-home, in-hospital and video/phone consultations.”
Dr. Louie notes that knowledge sharing is an important part of care that will benefit not only children in B.C. but globally.
“Our physician, nursing and counselling teams are committed to ongoing knowledge acquisition, information sharing and training that will advance the practice of PPC with the aim of improving quality of life and complex care management for vulnerable children,” he says.
As part of that commitment, Canuck Place has an ongoing physician training program that sees 19 clinical trainees, residents, fellows and physicians receiving intensive PPC training annually with the Canuck Place clinical team.
This year, Canuck Place is launching a global PPC research and innovation hub. The goal of the research initiative is to improve the quality of care for children, youth and their families living with life-threatening conditions by increasing the capacity of Canuck Place and clinicians to conduct and use PPC research.
Dr. Louie says Canuck Place’s experienced inter-disciplinary team have an embedded culture of knowledge translation. This desire to share best practices makes Canuck Place an ideal program for training physicians from other parts of the world.
“Physicians come from countries that do not have PPC services or where palliative care services are limited,” says Dr. Louie. “Our goal is for them to learn from our team and take this expertise and return to their home countries to establish programs of their own and advocate for PPC in order to reduce suffering and improve quality of life for children globally.”
Physicians come from countries that do not have PPC services or where palliative care services are limited.Our goal is for them to learn from our team and take this expertise and return to their home countries to establish programs of their own and advocate for PPC in order to reduce suffering and improve quality of life for children globally.
— Dr. Peter Louie Canuck Place physician
He points out that in countries with limited resources, the physician may play the role of many professionals such as counsellor, play therapist and bereavement care provider. They require knowledge of these roles to hire and train their team should they have the resources.
Learning to be better communicators appears to be one of the most useful skills visiting physicians acquire through their interaction with the Canuck Place team, says Dr. Louie.
“It is easier to learn the medical knowledge than to become an expert communicator,” he adds. “The ability to listen, empathize, and be curious and respectful are essential skills when supporting children and families living with medical complexity and uncertainty.”
Dr. Qutiabah Alotaibi has been a pediatric palliative fellow at Canuck Place since October of 2021, rotating between the hospice, adult palliative care services and other subspecialties at BC Children’s Hospital.
He became aware of Canuck Place when he met Karen Kooyman Gauthier, a clinical nurse at the hospice’s Abbotsford location, while completing a palliative diploma course in Cardiff, Wales.
“Canuck Place had all that I needed – a well-established palliative care program that covers a large population of patients not limited to specific diagnoses, like oncology only, and the team is friendly and has a high interest in teaching,” says Dr. Alotaibi.
He notes that pediatric palliative care is not well established in the Middle East.
“I started the first in-hospital palliative unit in Kuwait and tried to run the unit as a general pediatrician. However, it was difficult to advance my skills safely and meet patients’ needs. The knowledge and experience from Canuck Place will help me not only practice competently in the field but also help me, hopefully, establish a program at a national level and assist others in the region as well,” says Dr. Alotaibi.
As the number of children with medical complexity grows, Canuck Place’s role is to teach physicians how to best care for this population of seriously ill patients and their families, says Dr. Louie.
“We believe this care, which relieves pain and suffering, is important not only for children in British Columbia but globally. This is achieved through research and knowledge sharing nationally and internationally,” he adds.
By the Numbers
830
The number of children and families Canuck Place provided care for in 2021-22
9,286
The number of donors who gave to Canuck Place in 2021-22
24%
Increase in family members receiving respite overnight care in hospice. 726 suite nights for 1,917 family members in 2021-22.
27%
Increase in counselling sessions (3,312 sessions) provide for children and families to support mental health through incredibly challenging circumstances and uncertainty during the pandemic and loss of their child.
3,073
The number of consults in-home, in-hospital and via phone and video provided by the Canuck Place clinical team in 2021-22. An increase of 14% over the previous year.
Source: Canuck Place Children’s Hospice
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