Being cold when injured in a cold environment--patients' experiences

Patients in prehospital care, irrespective of diseases or trauma might experience thermal discomfort because of a cold environment and are at risk for decreasing body temperature which can increase both morbidity and mortality.

To explore patients' experiences of being cold when injured in a cold environment.

Twenty persons who had been injured in a cold environment in northern Sweden were interviewed. Active heat supply was given to 13 of them and seven had passive heat supply. The participants were asked to narrate their individual experience of cold and the pre- and post-injury event, until arrival at the emergency department. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, then analyzed with qualitative content analysis.

Patients described that they suffered more from the cold than because of the pain from the injury. Patients who received active heat supply experienced it in a positive way. Two categories were formulated: Enduring suffering and Relief of suffering.

Thermal discomfort became the largest problem independent of the severity of the injuries. We recommend the use of active heat supply to reduce the negative experiences of thermal discomfort when a person is injured in a cold environment.