Recognising uncertainty: an integrated framework for palliative care in perinatal medicine

Abstract

In perinatal medicine, the number of babies with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions is increasing and the benefits of providing palliative care with a holistic, interdisciplinary approach are well documented. It can be particularly challenging, however, to integrate palliative care into routine care where there exists uncertainty about a baby's diagnosis or potential outcome. This framework, developed collaboratively by the British Association of Perinatal Medicine (BAPM) and the Association of Paediatric Palliative Medicine (APPM), offers supportive guidance for all healthcare professionals working in perinatal medicine across antenatal and neonatal services. It explicitly acknowledges that palliative care is not just for babies who are dying or who will certainly die in early life; incorporating a palliative approach into antenatal and neonatal care for all babies with an uncertain outcome can be particularly valuable. The framework provides guidance on recognising babies who may benefit from palliative care and outlines the key elements of perinatal palliative care: holistic family support, empowering parents to be parents, parallel planning, symptom management and loss and bereavement care. It provides recommendations for the delivery of palliative care services, advocating for a unified approach that involves all members of the perinatal team, supported by specialist services as needed. This framework calls for a shift in the philosophy and practice of perinatal care to integrate palliative care into the everyday and to recognise and embrace the challenge of uncertain prognosis.