The AOD team at Presbyterian has always had UPMC's core values and mission at the center of everything they do and the decisions that they make. Although it's difficult to find just one story of how this team has exemplified UPMC's vision and values, the dedication, hard work, and passion of this team can be told through several examples.
The Presbyterian AOD team is in many ways a "one-stop-shop" for all members of the medical team as well as for our patients and families. This team frequently comes up with solutions to any number of challenges or issues that come up on a daily basis. The AOD team highlighted "Caring and Listening" in the case of a patient with her therapy dog who was admitted to a critical care unit. The patient had no family in the Pittsburgh area and was extremely worried about who could care for her dog while she was in the ICU. The AOD team listened to the patient's needs and found a solution where a team member unselfishly went above and beyond, taking the dog home and providing care for her while the patient remained in the ICU. This not only allowed for the best care to be provided to the patient but also provided her the peace of mind to know her dog was being cared for.
Often, the AOD team is called upon to come up with inventive and creative processes for creating bed space for our patients while striving for the best experience possible with minimal delay waiting for admission into UPMC Presbyterian. While the AOD team does this on a daily basis, an example that highlights "Excellence and Innovation" can be told when the mother of one of our UPMC Police and Security needed admission from an outside hospital into Presbyterian. With no surprise, the Presbyterian census was high and bed space was tight. The AOD team thought outside the box and collaborated with MedCall and the physician team to ensure that our Officer's mother was brought to UPMC Presbyterian in a timely fashion for a higher level of care. As a result, the medical team at UPMC Presbyterian was able to provide the best care to our Officer's mother for which he was incredibly thankful to the AOD team.
"Quality and Safety" are at the forefront of the AOD team's decision making. Our newest process surrounding the tracking of our Forensic patient population has been extremely effective as the result of the partnership of the AOD team, Patient Safety Specialist team, and UPMC Police and Security. The AOD team ensures that all patients that are incarcerated and those with behavioral issues are tracked daily and discussed at our hospital bed summit as a result of this new process. Tying into this the AOD team also assists our inpatient units with a number of room searches. During the course of these searches, the AOD team models "Dignity and Respect" ensuring that in even the most uncomfortable of situations, we treat our patients and staff with both dignity and respect. More recently, UPMC Presbyterian has had days with multiple room searches. The AOD team showed "Responsibility and Integrity" during these days, and as a team ensured that while two AOD's were on floors completing these room searches, another team of AOD's was continuing to manage hospital operations and flow. As a result of this teamwork, the AOD's were able to continue with the best practice for the staff, patients, and families.
The UPMC Presbyterian AOD team is met daily with new challenges and situations. In embracing UPMC's core values, this team proves time and time again that it excels above and beyond to provide hospital-wide satisfaction. This is what makes this team worthy of The DAISY Team Award.