The Coolout studies analyze the irresolvable contradiction in the demands placed on caregivers: Carers are expected to meet the high standards of nursing care (keyword patient orientation) in the care and support of the people entrusted to them and at the same time they feel compelled to work quickly due to the economic constraints of everyday nursing care. With recourse to the metaphor of "civil coldness", it is explained how they can endure this contradiction in their everyday work and at the same time contribute to the stabilization of a practice that is declared to be normatively unacceptable.

The phenomenon has been and is being investigated in numerous studies, with the current focus on the situation of trainees (generalist nursing training) and practice supervisors.