ABP Pediatric Palliative study guide
ABP Pediatric Palliative · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP), with other specialty boards, offers a certificate in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. For pediatric candidates, it is a subspecialty certification layered on initial certification in general pediatrics or a pediatric subspecialty, and that certification must be maintained. The exam assesses hospice and palliative medicine, but the ABP page is a requirements page, not a content blueprint; it does not list domains or weights. Candidates should use the ABP subspecialty content outline to organize study and confirm current dates, format, and scoring directly with the ABP, because the page says criteria are subject to change. The ABP Pediatric Palliative study guide has 5 sections and about 2,087 words.
01Core Concepts and Models of Pediatric Palliative Care
Palliative care is active, holistic care for a child with a serious illness and for the whole family, from the time of diagnosis through cure, chronicity, or death. It is not a place, a prognosis, or a fixed bundle of services.
369 words, about 2 min02Pain and Non-Pain Symptom Assessment and Management
Self-report is the gold standard when the child can report. Use age-appropriate tools: FLACC for infants and young children, Wong-Baker faces for preschool and early school age, and numeric scales for older children.
358 words, about 2 min03Communication, Shared Decision-Making, and Advance Care Planning
Use SPIKES for bad news: setting, perception, invitation, knowledge, empathy, and strategy or summary. Use NURSE for emotions: naming, understanding, respecting, supporting, and exploring.
348 words, about 2 min04Psychosocial, Spiritual, Cultural, and Ethical Aspects of Care
Use a biopsychosocial-spiritual model. Assess the child, parents, siblings, extended family, school, peer relationships, and practical needs such as transportation, housing, and finances.
318 words, about 2 min05End-of-Life Care
End-of-life care is goal-concordant care. Anticipate and prescribe for pain, dyspnea, secretions, agitation, seizures, nausea, and fever.
694 words, about 3 min