My hospital is not following the optimal protocol. What can I do?

Some Quebec hospitals, through their foundations, offer access to the use of cold caps, but their protocol is not always optimal. As a patient, you have the opportunity to assert your rights and ensure that you have every chance of obtaining the best possible results. For manual cold caps, if your hospital does not comply with the manufacturer's protocol regarding cooling time (50 minutes of pre-cooling, throughout the infusion and 3 to 5 hours according to the post-infusion protocol) or temperature (cold caps must be changed every 20 to 25 minutes), it is important to discuss this first with your medical team. Some people prefer to rent their own cold cap to ensure that they have the right equipment (not out-of-date) and, above all, that they can continue for as long as necessary after the infusion. For the fixed system, if your hospital requires you to leave the chemotherapy chair earlier than the recommended 3 to 5 hours after the end of your infusion, you may wish to consider renting additional manual cold caps that allow you to continue at home. Garde tes cheveux supports and informs healthcare professionals, and can even help them implement an appropriate hospital protocol. We're here for them too. Feel free to refer them to <a href="mailto:info@gardetescheveux.org">info@gardetescheveux.org</a>. If your care facility does not allow an attendant, please refer to question X of the decision support tool to prepare yourself to assert your rights in this regard. You can also download a sample waiver in the Tools section of our website.