"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst": A qualitative interview study on parents' needs and fears in pediatric advance care planning.

Background: Pediatric advance care planning is advocated by healthcare providers because it may increase the chance that patient and/or parent wishes are respected and thus improve end-of-life care. However, since end-of-life decisions for children are particularly difficult and charged with emotions, physicians are often afraid of addressing pediatric advance care planning.

Aim: We aimed to investigate parents' views and needs regarding pediatric advance care planning.

Medical indication regarding life-sustaining treatment for children: Focus groups with clinicians.

Background: Decisions about medical indication are a relevant problem in pediatrics. Difficulties arise from the high prognostic uncertainty, the decisional incapacity of many children, the importance of the family, and conflicts with parents. The objectivity of judgments about medical indication has been questioned.