Continuous quality improvement in care of the dying with the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient

In order to illustrate the usefulness of a continuous quality improvement approach in care of the dying, this paper focuses on the process and outcomes of the first National Care of the Dying Audit in Hospitals in England. One hundred and eighteen individual hospitals delivering care to patients in the last hours and days of their lives using the Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient participated in the audit and provided 2672 patient datasets. The results illustrate both that important information can be gained about care delivery using this method and that the opportunity to engage in formal and collaborative reflection, discussion and action planning is useful in promoting continuous quality improvement. This process is likely not only to be of interest to clinicians working in the field but also to managers and planners striving to ensure continuous quality improvement for patients and carers and to inform the process of benchmarking for the future.