The End of life care tab: A Quality improvement intervention

Abstract

Background: Two sentinel cases prompted an evaluation of our EOL care practice for children in our pediatric intensive care unit. Lack of clear guidelines for end of life care in the PICU and physician variability in practice resulted in communication breakdowns triggering significant moral distress amongst PICU staff. Problem Analysis: A more detailed evaluation of the problem was performed using two measures: quantitative data collection with a PICU staff needs assessment survey as well as qualitative data from staff debriefings. The survey included a self-assessment on EOL clinical skills, an assessment of inter- and intra-team communication, an assessment of communication with patients/families, and …