ICU nurses create toolkit to improve end-of-life care

After nearly 11 years in nursing, Kelsey Stewart still remembers the passing of one of her first patients. “She was in her 40’s and gasping for breath, but much more alert than I expected someone to be at the end of life. I wasn’t mentally prepared for what was happening, and I think her family could see that in me,” says the critical care nurse from Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre. “It was a tough experience that stayed with me throughout my nursing career.” 

To help ensure nurses have the confidence and resources to deal with difficult conversations and provide comfort during a patient’s final stages of life, Kelsey and critical care registered nurses Aisha Woodbury and Bronwyn Caldwell—also from Abbotsford Regional Hospital—are developing a practical bedside resource and digital toolkit. 

Thanks to funding from the BC Nurses’ Union through the 2026 Knowledge Translation Challenge, the team will work with physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, care aides, Indigenous health liaisons, spiritual health practitioners, patient partners and families to create culturally sensitive materials that fit the needs of patients and staff.

“I want nurses to have the right resources at their fingertips. When you’re caring for someone at the end of life and supporting their family at the same time, you shouldn’t have to search in multiple places for the information and resources you need” says Kelsey.

Once complete, the toolkit will be available in the ICU at Abbotsford Regional Hospital, with a plan to expand to other ICUs and B.C. health authorities in the future. 

“Nurses from other health authorities have reached out, asking if they can access the toolkit as well,” says Kelsey. 

That interest, she adds, reflects a shared commitment among nurses to strengthening compassionate, dignified and culturally safe end-of-life care for critically ill patients and their families.

“It’s a privilege to be at someone’s bedside when they pass,” says Kelsey. “For nurses, it may be one moment within a busy shift, but for that family, it’s a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

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