The timing and circumstances of the implementation of pediatric palliative care in Hungarian pediatric oncology.

There is no widely accepted unified practice among pediatric oncologists concerning the implementation of palliative care in Hungary. Despite the international recommendation, the common practice of timing is still at the end of curative treatment. Physicians rely on multidisciplinary teamwork, where the psychologist's role is the most prominent in this discussion. What is Known: • There is an international consensus that palliative care should commence at the diagnosis of a pediatric malignant disease regardless of illness outcome. • Barriers to the early implementation of palliative care in pediatric oncology involve resource-based and attitudinal factors. What is New: • In Hungary, where pediatric oncologists are sole decision-makers, early implementation of palliative care is rare. • There is a strong preference among physicians for working within a team, while also asserting that presence of team members may decrease the level of intimacy.