Mini Blog: 2 minutes with...Karyn Bycroft

Catch Karyn speaking on Friday afternoon on 'Developing the Art of Decision Making in Pain Relief and Palliative Care for Children'  

What is your current role/job/position? I am a Nurse Practitioner working in the Paediatric Palliative Care Team at Starship Children’s Hospital. I am involved with providing direct care to children and their families in the Greater Auckland Region and also provide a consultative service nationally to support health professionals to care for children wherever they are.

How did you get into working in Pain Management? My involvement in pain management has developed out of wanting to provide the best possible care for children with life-limiting conditions, to minimise their suffering and to support them to maximise their potential as much as possible. Having been involved in paediatric palliative care now for many years I have seen many changes in prognosis of many conditions and in turn this influences how we provide care. I find working in this dynamic field challenging and inspiring. I believe there is still so much to learn and still so much we can do to improve comfort and quality of life for children and their families with palliative care needs.

What do you hope people might take away from your presentation? Providing paediatric palliative care is not easy; providing the best comfort care and minimising pain and suffering often requires complex decisions depending on where the child might be in the trajectory of their illness. The process of pain management in this time of unknown prognosis, and the experience and knowledge of those providing the care, can influence how these symptoms including pain are managed.