March 2018
Judith
Diaz
,
RN
Gastroenterology Unit
Tampa General Hospital
Tampa
,
FL
United States
When you consider the values of caring, integrity, advocacy, respect, accountability, and competency, Judith displayed all these values through her extraordinary service to a discharged patient of Tampa General Hospital. Judith was called to the lobby by our receptionist to assist a Spanish speaking visitor who was crying and stated she and her husband have been sent to several departments throughout the hospital trying to find help for his newly placed urostomy when she ended up in the GE Center waiting room. This poor woman had been pushing a very thin, frail and sickly looking man in a wheelchair up and down the halls of the TGH hospital trying to get help. Showing sincere compassion and understanding, Judith listened to the wife of this patient and took it upon herself to find a solution. In her investigation of the situation, she determined that when the patient was discharged from the hospital he was given a biliary drainage bag to use as a urinary leg bag which was the incorrect drainage system for the patient's device. Judith went to the 6K Specialty Surgery Unit to get the correct drainage system for his urostomy device, then she maintained the privacy and integrity of the patient by assisting the wife and patient to the visitor restroom to assemble and attach the device. Judith then gave the wife instructions on the care of the device until his follow up outpatient appointment. Judith is truly a role model for Tampa General Hospital. This was not her patient or a currently admitted patient, but he was a recent patient of Tampa General Hospital. She didn't let him fall through the cracks, she prevented a re-admission. She did this all with a smile and with her heart.