'Cold bedrooms' and other cooling facilities in UK children's hospices, how they are used and why they are offered: A mixed methods study.

'Cold bedrooms' and other cooling facilities in UK children's hospices, how they are used and why they are offered: A mixed methods study. Palliat Med. 2021 Jan 11;:269216320984335 Authors: Hackett J, Beresford B Abstract BACKGROUND: The death of a child is acutely distressing. Evidence on the benefits and value to parents of spending time with their dead child have now been integrated into routine practice and is regarded as a bereavement support intervention. UK children's hospices have a tradition of using 'cooling facilities' (cold bedrooms, cooled blanket/mattress) to extend this period of time by slowing deterioration of the body. AIMS: To describe: (1) type and use of cooling facilities in UK children's hospices, policies and practices regarding their use, and any changes over time. (2) Director of care's views on the purpose of cooling facilities and the rationale for hospice-specific practices. METHODS: An explanatory mixed-methods design consisting two phases: a crosssectional survey of directors of care of UK children's hospices (n = 52) followed by semi-structured telephone interviews with a sub-sample of respondents. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics and interview data using directed content analysis. RESULTS: 41/52 hospices completed the survey and 13 directors of care were interviewed. All hospices had cooling facilities. Some offered use of portable cooling facilities a...
Source: Palliative Medicine - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Tags: Palliat Med Source Type: research