[When should palliative care for children with life-threatening illnesses begin?].
Paediatric Palliative Care in Switzerland is still in its infancy. In comparison to palliative care in adults, the knowledge about palliative care in children is limited. To facilitate the decision of when to start palliative care, an instrument for health professionals has been developed. The instrument, called Paediatric Palliative Screening Scale (PaPaS Scale), builds on five domains shedding light on the child's illness: 1) trajectory of disease and impact on daily activities; 2) treatment options and burden of treatment; 3) symptoms, controllability, and problem burden; 4) preferences of patient or parents; and 5) life expectancy. The aims of a reasonably starting palliative care are quality of life and the ability to actively create the rest of life.