A young couple had just visited for a Birthing Center tour and was very eager about the birth of their first child. A week later they arrived on our unit to deliver their baby that had passed away in utero. Following Discharge, a patient complaint was received related to lab tests and wording that was present on results that came back. Angie established a relationship with the couple during their hospitalization and knew about their tragic loss and fetal demise that occurred. She voluntarily reached out to investigate the complaint and had conversations with the family, physicians, the pathology group in our facility, and the referring pathology group to find answers to the many questions the parents asked.
After looking into the questions and talking with many different groups, Angie created education for the entire staff and held an in-service to educate all staff and physicians on what should/should not be done with patients experiencing fetal loss. Angie met with the Advanced Clinical workgroup and created an order set that will be initiated with any fetal demise. She worked with quality and our physician group on the order set to ensure that nothing will be missed in future similar situations.
In a follow-up meeting with the parents, Angie was able to update the parents with improvements and changes that were made because of the concerns that they expressed. The parents left feeling like they had helped improve this process despite the tragedy they had experienced with the loss of their child. Angie serves as the primary coordinator for bereavement services in The Birthing Center, allowing the parents time to ask questions and helping them through the grieving process. Angie is a vital part of The Birthing Center and even though the majority of our moments are filled with happiness and new life; in these horribly sad times, Angie offers comfort and compassion to these families.
Note: This is Angie's 2nd DAISY Award!