Alison Mouradian
June 2021
Alison
Mouradian
,
RN
Yawkey 8 Infusion Unit
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston
,
MA
United States
Alison is an incredibly compassionate person who wears her heart on her sleeve. She is a fierce advocate for her patients.
Yawkey 8 is the Adult Outpatient Oncology Infusion Unit at MGH. We are open seven days a week and treat some of the most complicated patients infusing multi-drug regimens investigational drugs and performing symptom management/supportive care to many people day in and out. This past year has been especially challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of our patients present alone to their infusion appointments while their families wait in the garage for their treatment to be over. Our staff has gone above and beyond during these challenging times to ensure that patients, as well as their families, feel supported.
This night was no different. A patient arrived alone late in the day with a plan to receive his first dose of palliative therapy as well as a blood transfusion. He was wearing O2 and was short of breath which was his baseline. He was known to this nurse, but she had not seen him in several weeks and she was surprised to see his current condition. It was clear that he was not doing well and that he was experiencing significant disease-related symptoms.
Alison assessed the patient got him settled and reached out to his wife to get a sense of what had been going on at home. Neither he nor his wife seemed overtly alarmed by his current state and reported being comfortable with the plan. The more time that passed and the longer that he was on the unit his nurse became increasingly concerned about the plan for him. She also worried about his wife and her ability to safely care for him at home. He continued to be short of breath and his oxygen requirement had increased since arriving on our unit.
She got approval to bring the patient’s wife onto the unit so that she could talk to both of them at the same time and assess if his condition was stable and their understanding of where things were at with his disease treatment and his goals. She then called his oncology NP to discuss the situation and voice her concerns. With his NP on the phone, Alison, the patient, and his wife were able to have a very candid discussion regarding goals of care and the desires of the patient. He was clear that he did not want to be admitted and his wife was able to verbalize that she would appreciate a little more support at home in terms of managing his care. After that discussion, his NP was able to make a call to place an urgent hospice referral, and arrangements were made for hospice to meet the patient at his home that evening. None of this would have happened if his nurse Alison Mouradian hadn’t advocated for her patient and his wife.
This patient was able to complete his treatment on Yawkey 8 and then be discharged home with a plan that was agreeable to everyone involved. Sadly, this patient passed away only a few days after this visit. Alison is an incredibly compassionate person who wears her heart on her sleeve. She is a fierce advocate for her patients. This is not the first time I have seen her coordinate something like this and it most certainly will not be the last. I can think of no one who represents the DAISY Award more than Alison. It is a true pleasure to work with her every day.
This night was no different. A patient arrived alone late in the day with a plan to receive his first dose of palliative therapy as well as a blood transfusion. He was wearing O2 and was short of breath which was his baseline. He was known to this nurse, but she had not seen him in several weeks and she was surprised to see his current condition. It was clear that he was not doing well and that he was experiencing significant disease-related symptoms.
Alison assessed the patient got him settled and reached out to his wife to get a sense of what had been going on at home. Neither he nor his wife seemed overtly alarmed by his current state and reported being comfortable with the plan. The more time that passed and the longer that he was on the unit his nurse became increasingly concerned about the plan for him. She also worried about his wife and her ability to safely care for him at home. He continued to be short of breath and his oxygen requirement had increased since arriving on our unit.
She got approval to bring the patient’s wife onto the unit so that she could talk to both of them at the same time and assess if his condition was stable and their understanding of where things were at with his disease treatment and his goals. She then called his oncology NP to discuss the situation and voice her concerns. With his NP on the phone, Alison, the patient, and his wife were able to have a very candid discussion regarding goals of care and the desires of the patient. He was clear that he did not want to be admitted and his wife was able to verbalize that she would appreciate a little more support at home in terms of managing his care. After that discussion, his NP was able to make a call to place an urgent hospice referral, and arrangements were made for hospice to meet the patient at his home that evening. None of this would have happened if his nurse Alison Mouradian hadn’t advocated for her patient and his wife.
This patient was able to complete his treatment on Yawkey 8 and then be discharged home with a plan that was agreeable to everyone involved. Sadly, this patient passed away only a few days after this visit. Alison is an incredibly compassionate person who wears her heart on her sleeve. She is a fierce advocate for her patients. This is not the first time I have seen her coordinate something like this and it most certainly will not be the last. I can think of no one who represents the DAISY Award more than Alison. It is a true pleasure to work with her every day.