Palliative and end of life care for a child: Understanding parents' coping strategies.

Aim: Understanding of coping strategies that parents use before the death of their child is crucial and will enable us to best provide support. The current study aimed to explore parents' coping strategies, and map these onto an existing theoretical framework.

Methods: Bereaved parents and parents of a child with a life-limiting/threatening condition were interviewed to investigate coping strategies, recruited through Intensive Care Units (2 Neonatal, 2 Paediatric, 1 Paediatric Cardiac) and a children's hospice.

Parental perceptions of hypothermia treatment for neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy.

Aims: Hypothermia Treatment (HT) is now the standard care for neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE). We conducted a survey to explore parental perceptions of HT as there is little information about this in the current literature.

Methods: Postal questionnaire survey included families (n = 51) whose babies received HT at Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, UK, with 23 questions covering communication, clinical management, follow-up, and care in general.