Patient/Client Issue

Patient’s family lived several states away and they were concerned about the patient’s overall care at the hospital.

Patient was overwhelmed by the number of physicians and messages from the large medical team.

Patient was scheduled to be transferred to a facility that the family was unable to visit due to distance.

How our Nurse Advocate helped?

A Nurse Advocate visited the patient in the hospital and evaluated the patient while the distant family member was on video conference. The family member was able to ask questions and see the condition of the patient.

Our Nurse Advocate arranged and participated in a family meeting which involved the surgical and medical teams, the case manager, and nurse manager. The distant family member was included in the meeting via video call. The patient’s medical care was thoroughly reviewed and explained. Our Nurse Advocate asked deliberate and pertinent questions based on years of nursing experience, and together an acceptable care plan was established.

Prior to the patient’s discharge from the hospital, our nurse advocate visited the care facility. Once at the facility, the Nurse Advocate asked for a tour by an administrator, took pictures, and included the distant family member via video call.  The Nurse Advocate ensured that all the specific care needs required for the patient were able to be met at the receiving facility. Our staff also researched the facility to ensure that the facility had a history of providing high quality care.

Patient/Client Issue

Family and patient concerned about care at hospital.

Patient and family requests ignored by staff.

Patient concerned about medical management of care and pain issues.

Follow up evaluation by surgeon not completed in a timely manner.

Patient due to be discharged to home when physically unsafe to do so.

How our Nurse Advocate helped?

Our Nurse Advocate helped the patient clarify their requests which enabled the physicians and nurses understand why the patient requests were valid and should not be disregarded.

The Nurse Advocate in the presence of the patient and designated family member spoke with the nurse and reviewed the patient consults, lab results, and plan of care. Our Nurse Advocate diligently reviewed the patient’s chart to ensure that all of the patient’s care needs were met. And, highlighted gaps in care where a physician consult was needed.

Our Nurse Advocate assessed the patient for safety and discovered clear reasons why the patient was not safe to be discharged from the hospital.

The Nurse Advocate spoke with the team about all the concerns, and the protocol for follow up visits post-surgery from the surgical team.  The next day (Monday) the surgeon evaluated the patient and the required interventions were scheduled.

The Nurse Advocate worked with the patient to ensure that once the patient was ready for discharge the patient was discharged to a skilled facility, then to home with physical therapy and regular nurse visits.