Jamie was recovering and discharging a patient that had received a "new to them" gastric tube. The discharge orders were vague and did not spell out what care was necessary for this patient. The patient's significant other was very fearful to take on the responsibility of such a new devise. Jamie picked up on the significant other's anxiety and stepped in to offer some emotional support. She collaborated with Nutrition, the patient's surgeon, and the patient's primary physician to establish a time line for tube feeding once they were at home, as well as a detailed plan on how the significant other was to care for the new tube and wound. She typed out a detailed time line so that the care giver could mark off where they were at in the feeding process, obtained the special food for the patient, consulted with the patient's primary physician about procedures that were planned for the next day, and then took the time to explain in detail what the plan was in a way that they both could understand.
By taking the time to do all of this, Jamie was able to give the patient and their care giver the tools to provide their own care with confidence. She gave exemplary care that all of us should aspire to.