Perinatal hospice – is there a need for such units to function in the opinion of Polish society?

Introduction
The diagnosis of a lethal defect in a child is one of the most traumatic life experiences of parents. Institutions providing perinatal palliative care are available to families in which a child is born with a lethal defect.

Material and methods
The study was conducted in May 2021 in a group of 200 people. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous. The study used the method of a diagnostic survey with a proprietary questionnaire, constructed for the purposes of this study.

Results
More than half of the respondents have heard about perinatal palliative care. The vast majority of respondents were able to correctly indicate its definition. Among the various types of support for parents in the event of an unsuccessful diagnosis, the respondents indicated psychological support as the most important, followed by medical and spiritual support. Almost 80% of the respondents are unable to indicate the nearest center offering perinatal palliative care. Almost all respondents are convinced of the need for perinatal hospices. The vast majority of respondents believe that society is not aware of the existence of perinatal palliative care. The respondents believe that hospitals are not prepared to care for a woman whose child has been diagnosed with a lethal defect.

Conclusions
There is a need to create perinatal hospices and inform society about the principles of their functioning. Caring for a family after detecting an incurable disease of a child requires appropriate knowledge and skills as well as the involvement of various specialists. Therefore it is important to introduce content on perinatal palliative care into educational programs at medical universities and to conduct courses and training for medical workers.