Maria has been a valuable member of PCU for some time now and has recently proven this. Dr. D recognized this and asked me to write this DAISY on his behalf.

Maria was taking care of a patient that had surgery to repair their foot. The foot was wrapped in a tight bandage only to be changed by the doctor. Upon Maria’s assessment, she noticed the color of the toes did not look right and lacked good circulation. She was worried about this patient and reached out to the doctor. After the doctor assessed the patient, they determined that it was okay to leave the dressing in place. This did not sit well with Maria, so she sought a second opinion from Dr. D. After he assessed the patient and listened to Maria’s concerns, he ordered a CT of the patient’s leg, and a large clot was found in the popliteal artery. Because of Maria’s strong assessment skills and persistent advocation for her patient, she changed the projection of the patient’s outcome. This ace of patient advocacy solidifies her commitment to excellent care and further processes her value, not only to our PCU team but the values of Lutheran’s legacy.