Christine Thornburg
December 2013
Christine
Thornburg
,
RN
Medical/Surgical
Genesis Health System
Davenport
,
IA
United States

 

 

 

Chris has been taking care of a very complex skilled patient who seeks primary care through the U of I. The patient is seeing 5 specialists at the U of I campus and has to be transported by ambulance with each visit due to him being bed bound. The specialists there keep giving the patient and family conflicting information, some have told them to pursue hospice, others have told them they are not giving up on him and keep prescribing care often conflicting with the other specialists. Due to us being so remote and those physicians not having privileges here it has been difficult for us to come up with a patient plan of care.

In the last visit to U of I with 3 of the specialists, Chris went with the patient to assist him and the family through the visits and insisted on information from them so we along with the patient and family could develop a plan of care. This was an all day visit that Chris spent with them and she had difficulty getting the specialists to all agree to a plan that wasn't conflicting with each other. I can't emphasize how much above and beyond time Chris has spent with this patient and helping coordinating his care. It has been daily multiple calls to Iowa City to discuss the complexity of his multiple issues. The family was frustrated with Iowa City, and now feel like they have direction on where his care is going.

Chris has attended multiple care conferences as well as daily hands on care to the patient. She realized the family wasn't able to coordinate the specialists and really get a response from them one way or another, so Chris felt it would be best for a medical person who knew his conditions to go along. Family was very agreeable and relieved. Chris has done an outstanding job taking care and coordinating care on this patient.