title: Managing intensive care units: make LOVE, not war!
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe a program set up in a French intensive care unit (ICU) aimed at improving communication inside the team and communication information given to patients and their relatives; explain how those actions can improve communication inside the ICU and ultimately why it could improve patient's outcome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Position paper.
  
  
  METHODS
  Progressive implementation of multifaceted quality improvement program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The program Leadership, Ownership, Values, and Evaluation (LOVE) was developed over 10 years. It was usually well accepted by the members of the team, patients, and relatives, in particular the 24-hour visiting program that was prospectively evaluated. Information and decisions were shared with the patients or more often with the relatives, who became for some of them really "part of the team." Additional actions such as participation to some of the simplest cares by the families are under investigation. A prospective evaluation of such programs, although difficult to perform, remains probably necessary.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality of life within the ICU is based on many factors including a strong and positive leadership, an absolute respect of individuals, and a rigorous evaluation of quality of care, which could influence heavily the quality of life in the ICU for patients, relatives, and health care professionals and facilitate team work. Whether this could really influence outcome remains to be demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Groupe Hospitalier Paris Saint-Joseph, Réanimation Polyvalente, 75014 Paris, France. j.carlet@has-sante.fr
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carlet
authors.forename: Maité
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garrouste-Orgeas
authors.forename: Marie-Françoise
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Dumay
authors.forename: Fredérique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Diaw
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guidet
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Timsit
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Misset
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010358:Patient Participation; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care