Evidence of Impact

Nurse Engagement

Ignites Extraordinary Compassionate Care
Improves Satisfaction and Retention
Promotes Wellbeing and Resilience

Healthy Work Environment

Celebrates All the Right
Reminds Nurses Why they became Nurses
Builds Team Spirit

Patient/Family Experience

Communicates Profound Gratitude
Reinforces Patient and Family Centered Care
Inspires Community Loyalty

DAISY is an evidence-based form of meaningful recognition: DAISY has been used as a proxy for meaningful recognition in research studies. DAISY has a 24-year history of success, which has provided insights into successful programs of nurse recognition as a form of meaningful recognition, DAISY can impact healthcare organizations in 3 areas:

1. Contributes to a healthy work environment
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• 1 of 6 standards of a HWE (AANC, 2005, 2016)
• Focuses on the “right” in organizations versus what is wrong
• Reminds nurses why they became nurses (Lefton, 2014)
• Operationalizes Mission and Vision of compassionate care celebration as a Team (Kelly and Lefton, 2017)
• From Praise to Profits: The Business Case For Recognition at Work (Gallup, 2023)

2. Nurse Engagement
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• DAISY Nurses are role models of compassionate care (Lefton, 2012)
• DAISY nominations may contribute to compassion satisfaction (Lefton, 2012)
• Engaged nurses support nurse retention (Kelly and Lefton, 2017; Lefton, 2014)

3. Patient and Family experience
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• Over 2 million nominations written to express gratitude (The DAISY Foundation, 2019)
• Improves patient-experience outcomes (McClelland, et al, 2014)
• Supports and demonstrates patient and family centered care (Sweeney, Grant, Lefton, Foreman-Lovell, 2019)
• Fosters loyalty for an organization (Sweeney, et al, 2019)
• Nominations provide information/data to improve patient experience (Clavelle, Sweeney, et al, 2019)

References:

Contributes to a healthy work environment
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Nurse Engagement
Links to References:

  • Swartwout, Ellen PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FAAN. The DAISY Award: Meaningful Recognition's Impact on Patients, Nurses, and Organizations. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration 54(7/8):p 404-408, 7/8 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0000000000001448
  • Eddy, Jaime R. BSN, RN; Kovick, Laura MA; Caboral-Stevens, Meriam PhD, RN, NP-C Meaningful recognition, Nursing Management (Springhouse): January 2021 - Volume 52 - Issue 1 - p 14-21
  • Sweeney CD. The Value of Recognition: The DAISY Award. Nurs Adm Q. 2021 Jul-Sep 01;45(3):253-261. doi: 10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000478. PMID: 33935209.
  • Nair, J., Merring, P., Jones, B., & Guney, S. (2021). An Exploration of Characteristics and Behavioral Traits of DAISY Honorees and Nominees: A Qualitative Study. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 51(1), 26–32.
  • Leger, K., Lajoie, D., & Wood, L. J. (2021). Understanding Inpatient Surgical Nurses’ Meaningful Recognition Preferences. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 51(12), 614–619.
  • Lefton, C. Strengthening the workforce through meaningful recognition.  NURSING ECONOMIC$. November-December 2012; Vol. 30/No. 6; 331-338.
  • Haizlip, Julie MD, MAPP; McCluney, Courtney PhD; Hernandez, Morela PhD; Quatrara, Beth DNP, RN, CMSRN, ACNS-BC; Brashers, Valentina MD.  Mattering: How Organizations, Patients, and Peers Can Affect Nurse Burnout and Engagement JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration: May 2020 - Volume 50 - Issue 5 - p 267-273.
  • Renger, D., Miché, M., & Casini, A. (2020). Professional Recognition at Work: The Protective Role of Esteem, Respect, and Care for Burnout Among Employees. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 62(3), 202–209.
  • Kelly, L. A., & Lefton, C. (2017). Effect of meaningful recognition on critical care nurses' compassion fatigue. American Journal of Critical Care, An Official Publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 26(6), 438-444. 10.4037/ajcc2017471 [doi].
  • Kelly, L., Gee, P., & Butler, R. Impact of nurse burnout on organizational and position turnover. Nursing Outlook, 69(1), 96-102.
  • Kelly, L., Runge, J., & Spencer, C. (2015). Predictors of Compassion Fatigue and Compassion Satisfaction in Acute Care Nurses. Journal of Nursing Scholarship: an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, 47(6), 522–528.
  • Lefton C. Strengthening the workforce through meaningful recognition. Nurs Econ. 2012 Nov-Dec;30(6):331-8, 355. PMID: 23346731. (Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Jannetti Publications, Inc., East Holly Avenue, Box 56, Pitman, NJ 08071-0056; (856) 256-2300; FAX (856) 589-7463; Web site: www.nursingeconomics.net; For a sample copy of the journal, please contact the publisher.)
  • Zimmermann, Deborah, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, Bridging the Gap: Translating Compassion into Action. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration 55 (9), 498-499 2025.


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Patient and family experience
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