The Scottish Neuroprotection Care Pathway (NCP) for Infants with Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy (HIE) 2020 advises that all delivery units should be able to select eligible babies and commence therapeutic hypothermia within 6 hours to minimise brain injury. This requires careful assessment of neurological behaviour and sensitive communication to parents about treatment and prognosis.
Only 50 babies a year require cooling treatment in Scotland. As clinicians have infrequent exposure to this situation, there is a need for accessible educational and clinical support when the need arises.
Three videos were developed to provide short comprehensive guides to clinical examination and parental communication, aimed at medical and nursing teams in all Scottish centres.
