British Nurses Tackle End of Life Care.

At Nursing Times, Joan Morgan reports on a new study designed to improve end of life care in Britain, based on the Liverpool Care Pathway.

Being responsible for planning and implementing change in practice/behaviour involves bringing about a major cultural shift. As end of life care in critical care is possibly more varied and complex than other areas of the hospital, this will take time, from both a personal and professional perspective.

It is imperative to have a thorough understanding of the legal and ethical issues involved. In the UK, the legal practice of withholding and withdrawing treatment is determined by doctors, although usually carried out after a consensual decision making process involving other professionals and family members. Moreover, we now live and work in a multicultural and ethnically diverse society, which requires greater understanding and sensitivity.

It was therefore necessary to conduct a literature review to understand current practice surrounding end of life care in critical care. This review reinforced the notion that deep seated beliefs affect care of dying people (Morgan, 2008).