Introduction This study explores UK Paediatric Intensive Care (PIC) trainees thoughts and feelings about high-profile end-of-life cases recently featured in the press and social media and the impact on their career intentions. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine PIC-GRID trainees (Apr-Aug 2021). Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Six main themes were identified: (i) All participants wished to do what was best for the child, feeling conflicted if this meant disagreeing with parents. (ii) Interviewees felt unprepared and expressed deep concern about the effect of high-profile cases on their future career. (iii) They highlighted too often being shielded from involvement in challenging discussions. (iv) Working in a supportive environment is crucial, underscoring the importance of clear and unified team communication, but specific training on the ethical and legal nuances of such cases is required. (vi) All had purposefully minimised their social media presence. (vi) All had reconsidered training in PIC due to concerns about future high-profile end-of-life disputes; despite describing this as a cause of concern and anxiety, all were still in training. Conclusion UK PIC trainees feel unprepared and anxious about future high-profile cases. A parallel can be drawn to child protection improvements following significant educational investment after Government reports into preventable child abuse deaths. Models for supporting trainees and establishing formal PIC training are required to improve trainees confidence and skills in managing high-profile cases. Further research with other professional groups, the families involved, and other stakeholders would provide a more rounded picture.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

This study did not receive any funding

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Study approval by GOSH-Clinical Research Adoptions Committee (ID 20HL11), UCL-ethics committee (ID 18271/001), and the Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee (ID 278437).

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Deidentified participant interview transcripts, are available from Dr Clare Bell, ORCID identifier 0000-0002-8331-5758 reuse is permitted after discussion with the research team in related research.