Paediatricians and scholars on Tuesday said parents should not overlook palliative care when their children are confronting complex diseases or symptoms.

Palliative care, which includes end-of-life care, is a specialised type of care aimed at alleviating pain and other symptoms associated with severe illnesses.

The call came after researchers at Polytechnic University interviewed 65 people, including children aged between eight and 19 years old, their parents, and medics between 2019 and 2021.

Speaking at a press briefing, Professor Frances Wong from the university's nursing school said parents need to understand how to live with the life-long diseases their children are facing.

"The point of treatment and diagnosis is not the end, it's just the beginning. How the parents actually face living with the disease and, therefore, a palliative care model
actually has the benefits to provide that continuity of care," she explained.

Wong added that parents can start palliative care for their children even before the diagnosis is complete.

Meanwhile, Chan Cheong-wai, who chairs the Hong Kong Society of Children's Palliative Care, said diagnosing intricate illnesses often takes years, but parents often focus on seeking curative treatments, overseeing palliative care for their children.

"If a child had cancer, the first thing that the parents may think about will be any kind of curative treatment,” he said.

“So at that juncture, most of the doctors and nurses will focus on the curative treatment instead of other elements like psychological support. We are not saying that psychological support is not important, but at that time, the parents' main focus is still on the medical side."