As I was walking down the hallway, I heard a lot of commotion coming from a patient room. An alone psych teenage patient was angry and he was actively trying to kick, punch, and bite a PCA. When I entered the room, the patient was positioned on the floor attempting to kick and punch the PCA and the PCA was doing his best to hold the patient's wrists so that no harm would be done. Security was activated and three staff members, including me, were in the room attempting to calm the patient down. Not only was the patient trying to hurt our staff, but also himself.
While the struggle to calm the patient continued, Debbie walked in very calmly and put herself among the three of us who were attempting to hold the patient since he was trying to punch and kick. At the same time Security arrived and that aggravated the patient more.
Debbie was the only person in the room that the patient responded to. I believe that her calm demeanor and body language de-escalated the patient. She listened with an empathetic ear and encouraged him to make better choices. Through her efforts, we were able to safely let go of the patient and she was able to gain his commitment to not hurt himself or others. This incredible effort was made by a nurse that was not assigned to this patient. I was in awe with her ability to intervene with him, as I witnessed the patient's demeanor change from angry and aggressive to calm and agreeable. At the end, Debbie had a Coke float with the patient and played an Xbox game with him.
I would like to nominate Debbie for the DAISY Award because of her effort to help this patient. She showed extraordinary courage, compassion and care of this patient!