Jessica Busko receives the DAISY Award from Karen Oxler, CNO
July 2013
Jessica
Busko
,
RN
Medical Surgical
Lancaster General Health
Lancaster
,
PA
United States

 

 

 

An end-stage liver patient took an unexpected and drastic turn for the worse. Normally, family is contacted in order to be by the patient's side. Unfortunately, when the patient was brought to the hospital by ambulance, his wife was also in need of medical care, but was transported to another facility.

Jessica accessed the medical record in Epic to obtain the wife's phone number. A message was left on her cell phone. The Nurse Manager called the facility where the wife was being treated but they did not have anyone by that name. While Jessica was looking for other phone numbers, she noticed a discrepancy in the wife and patient's last name. The Nurse Manager called back with the other name and the operator had her listed as a patient and transferred the call.

While the Nurse Manager informed the wife's nurse what was transpiring and coordinating a joint facility effort to have the wife transported to LGH to be with her husband, Jessica was signing off to the next shift.

The wife's nurse was with her when the Nurse Manager called to update her about her husband's status. After the update, the wife was transferred to the patient's room where Jessica was waiting. Jessica answered the phone and held it to the patient's ear even though he was unconscious, while his wife talked to him and said she loved him. Jessica remained with the patient after the phone call, so he wouldn't be alone. Shortly after hearing his wife say she loved him, he quietly passed away. Jessica called the wife's nurse to tell him that the patient passed away. Jessica worked with the PtCAs to provide post-mortem care.

While Jessica was attending to the patient, the other facility was working together to contact the physician and in record time had the wife discharged. Once she was discharged, he drove her to LGH. During the car ride he told her that her husband had passed. He escorted her to the nurses' station where Jessica and the Nurse Manager were waiting for her. Jessica thanked him and went to the patient's room with his wife. She answered her questions and then gave her privacy to grieve.

Jessica ended up staying 2 hours past the end of her shift in order to provide support not only to the patient and his wife, but also to the team.