Kara Eckel
May 2018
Kara
Eckel
,
LPN
Unit 1-4 Med-Surg
St. Joseph's Health
Syracuse
,
NY
United States

 

 

 

Kara went above and beyond in a very unique patient encounter. Kara was caring for an elderly female patient on comfort care who was continuing to decompensate. Family brought to Kara's attention that the patient's husband was also a patient himself—a few doors down the same hallway. The family was very unsure of what they should share with the husband, or even if they should let him know how sick his wife was. Kara advocated for both patients, sharing her feelings that it should be the husband's decision if he wanted to see his own wife to say "goodbye." The family spoke with the husband, and it was decided he would see his wife. Kara coordinated with nursing staff to have the husband (who was not her patient) cleaned up and transferred to a mobile recliner. Kara put a suction canister on the wall and turned it on so the noise from the machine would mask the sound of the wife's labored breathing. The husband was able to visit with his wife and family for a while, gaining closure after 64 years of marriage. All of this was made possible by the coordination, dedication, and compassion of one nurse recognizing the difficulty of the situation. The patient passed comfortably less than one hour after visiting with her husband and family members. This patient's physician rounded on the unit the next day to thank the nurse who made everything possible. What might have merely seemed like the right thing to do at the moment made all the difference to everyone!