Denny Shelton
July 2021
Edward
Shelton
,
RN
Radiology
HealthPark Medical Center
Fort Myers
,
FL
United States
With a calm, quiet voice, he was heard coaching her breathing technique, "Slow, deep breathing, just like you’re breathing through a straw," Denny would say.
Denny (Edward) cared for a woman who was critically ill with COVID. She had been intubated for a while and the time had finally come for her to be weaned from the ventilator. Her breathing trial was not going well, she was anxious, restless, and breathing at a high rate. This caused multiple alarms within the room which only made her more anxious. Denny put on his full PPE and went into the room. He was seen sitting at her bedside holding her hand for the entire breathing trial (over an hour).
With a calm, quiet voice, he was heard coaching her breathing technique, "Slow, deep breathing, just like you’re breathing through a straw," Denny would say. He would add encouragement as she began to synch with the ventilator. A few days later, while conducting leader rounds, I asked the patient how her care has been. The first thing she said was how grateful she was for the gentleman who held her hand and comforted her while she was on the ventilator. She said so many people would speak around her or about her while she was sedated, but he spoke directly to her. She was so thankful for the respect he showed her even when she appeared incoherent. She said his compassion made her feel safe during a very scary time. Initially, she had felt alone and that she might die, but when he took the time to sit with her and talk with her, her anxiety eased. His care that day impacted his patient's recovery. He acted with compassion, comforting his patient to create a safe and healing environment.
With a calm, quiet voice, he was heard coaching her breathing technique, "Slow, deep breathing, just like you’re breathing through a straw," Denny would say. He would add encouragement as she began to synch with the ventilator. A few days later, while conducting leader rounds, I asked the patient how her care has been. The first thing she said was how grateful she was for the gentleman who held her hand and comforted her while she was on the ventilator. She said so many people would speak around her or about her while she was sedated, but he spoke directly to her. She was so thankful for the respect he showed her even when she appeared incoherent. She said his compassion made her feel safe during a very scary time. Initially, she had felt alone and that she might die, but when he took the time to sit with her and talk with her, her anxiety eased. His care that day impacted his patient's recovery. He acted with compassion, comforting his patient to create a safe and healing environment.