Recently, a 12-year-old girl was brought to the ED by her mother for a medical evaluation. The patient had been seen by other physicians in the area in the past month, but her mother continued to have concerns that there was something wrong with her daughter. After medical testing was completed, the patient was diagnosed with Leukemia and prepared for immediate transfer to CHOA. RN, Courtney O'Bannon spent extra time with the patient to help her understand what was happening and answer any questions that she had. One of the first questions asked by the patient was if her mother could stay with her and ride with her in the ambulance during transfer. She did not want to be alone.
The patient's mother has additional children and they live out of town. Staff was concerned about the hardship that would be created by leaving her car at ARMC; preventing her from getting home to her other children, get clothes, get food or take care of any other presented needs. After some brainstorming, RN Courtney O'Bannon suggested that she could ride in the ambulance with the patient since they had established a bond. Courtney believed that she could comfort the patient while allowing her mother to follow behind in her car, thus relieving a significant concern that the mother had during this already difficult process. Courtney was able to keep the patient calm while at the same time eliminate additional stress for the mother. Talk about putting patients first!