The palliative care is the prevention and relief of suffering, of adult and pediatric patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. These issues include the physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffering of patients, as well as psychological, social and spiritual suffering of family members (1). The 2030 Agenda slogan ‘Leave no-one behind’ means that governments trying to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 must develop palliative care policies to cover the 40 million persons who require palliative care support globally. Currently, 78% of people in need of palliative care live in low- and middle-income countries and fewer than 10% of patient living in these countries receive palliative care (1).

WHO estimates that, between worldwide of people needing end-of-life palliative-care services each year, 6% of them are children (2). The number of children up to 19 years of age (neonates, infants, children, and adolescents) who need pediatric palliative care (PPC) each year may be as high as 21 million (3). There is an enormous need for prevention and relief of suffering among children for PPC. In response to the large-scale unnecessary suffering of children that access to palliative care for children is an “ethical responsibility of health systems”. Additionally, parents may need bereavement support when the fetus has life limiting conditions and may have indications for end-of-life care. There are various models for implementing palliative care. Success factors are: a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach; adaptation to the specific cultural, social and economic setting; and integration into existing health systems, with emphasis on primary health care and community- and home-based care (2).

Thus, the Phi Xi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International invites all nursing educators, researchers, and practitioners to join the fourth edition of the Phi Xi Talks, titled “Moving pediatric palliative care forward - what can nurses do?”, to discuss the challenges in perinatal/fetal and children palliative care. This webinar is hosted by the Phi Xi Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau's International - STTI, with the support of the Nursing School of Coimbra - ESEnfC and the Health Sciences Research Unit: Nursing - UICISA:E.