Each year a patient care team is chosen to receive the Victoria Rich Satisfaction Award for going above and beyond to meet the needs of patients and families. This year the honor went to Founders 11, a cardiac intermediate care unit. Their winning entry focused on bringing patients with pulmonary artery catheters (PAC), used to monitor cardiac output, on their unit rather than to the CCU (critical care unit).
Recognizing the CCU’s limited bed availability, the Founders 11 staff developed a safe environment for this patient population on their unit, translating evidence-based research into bedside practice. This included developing interdisciplinary guidelines, education, and hands-on training in the CCU for nurses. Thanks to these efforts, “we were able to keep 62 patients out of the CCU for a total of 215 days, all while increasing our patient satisfaction from approximately 86 percent to 88 percent,” said Megan Banning, BSN, nurse manager.
“Accepting PA-catheters on Founders 11 has been a goal of the CICU for many years. I am proud to say our team has been successful at bringing this goal to fruition, all while maintaining a positive attitude and improving patient satisfaction along the way,” Banning continued. “I would like to congratulate my team for such an honorable achievement, and I look forward to our continued success at improving patient satisfaction through patient-centered care.”