July 2011
Brady
Bennardo
,
BSN, RN
Transplant / ICare
UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

Recently, Brady was taking care of a patient on 7B who was exhibiting signs of pain and discomfort. After speaking with the physicians covering for this patient, she was unable to get an order for pain medication. The physicians did not want to mask the patient's pain because they didn't know the cause of the pain. However, Brady advocated for the patient and continued to assess "the fifth vital sign."

Brady stayed after her shift was over to participate in morning rounds with the attending physician. She spoke with our unit director and our clinical leader who helped her to get the patient advocate involved. She again pleaded her case and told the attending physician her assessment of the patient's pain and explained how unhappy the parents were. Orders were put in place for the patient and tests were being done to care for the patient.

I believe that the patient's care was drastically improved due to Brady's persistence and advocacy for her patient. This is why I feel she is an excellent candidate for the DAISY Award.