One night a patient was found sitting on the floor of his room, the patient was in no danger whatsoever. He had a history of AMS and was confused. He was refusing any assistance to put him back in the bed and this was a point of contention with him. The nurse's station was buzzing with talk of forcibly putting him back in his bed. Michelle Flowers RN decided since he was in no danger, a better course of action would be to allow him the autonomy to remain on the floor. She sat down with him and engaged him with a soothing and caring approach. She realized some of his confusion and agitation could be from a rising CO2 level as well as decreasing O2. She advocated for an ABG that the doctor ordered.
The RT came to the room to obtain the ordered ABG. She was at first a bit hesitant to attempt to obtain this lab value, while the patient is sitting on the floor. This is a difficulttest to obtain, even under ideal circumstances. Despite this logistical difficulty, the RT saw how well the patient was responding to Michelle's calm, soothing and caring approach. So, she got down on the floor with Michelle and the patient and obtained the ABG.
This cooperative effort from our colleges gives all of us something to think about. This genuine concern and respect that was given to one of our more difficult patients resulted in a level of trust and cooperation from that patient. This would not have worked unless both medical professionals were on the same page of patient-focused care. One of our nurse educators witnessed this event and said it almost brought her to tears. It also brought her great joy. This level of caring and compassion is what brought her into the profession in the first place.