Providing pediatric palliative care: PACT in action.

High-quality pediatric palliative care should be an expected standard in the United States, especially since the publication of the numerous position statements such as "Precepts of Palliative Care for Children and Adolescents and Their Families," a joint statement created by the Association of Pediatric Oncology Nurses, the National Association of Neonatal Nurses, and the Society of Pediatric Nurses. Although many barriers still exist, dedicated individuals and teams strive to promote models of excellence and improve care for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. The Pediatric Advanced Care Team, a joint project of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital, Boston, is one such interdisciplinary pediatric palliative care consultation service. Founded in 1997, we have grown and learned from formal study and our extensive clinical work with families, children, and our colleagues. This article describes our journey as an interdisciplinary team forging a new service within two renowned medical institutions in which historically the primary emphasis of care has been on cure and innovation. Although these values remain, our work has resulted in an increased acceptance of balancing treatment of the underlying disease or condition along with treatment of the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of the child and family through life or death. One of our goals is to help promote a balance of hope for cure with hope for comfort, dignity, and integrity for every child and family.