Improving end-of-life care in an intensive care unit: a collaborative quality improvement project.

Background: The shift from curative to palliative care is one of the most challenging situations in intensive care units.

Aims: The purpose of this collaborative project was to develop and implement a pilot intervention aimed at improving end-of-life care for patients in an open intensive care unit in Quebec City, Canada.

Methods: Individual and group interviews were first conducted to identify strengths and needs for improvement in care.

Use of UV powder for surveillance to improve environmental cleaning.

Commercially available UV powder was applied weekly to high-risk objects within patient rooms and inspected after 48 hours. We found a baseline cleaning rate of 41.8% that increased up to 80% (P < .