My sister-in-law is a 57-year-old woman with Down Syndrome and very low mental age. She was scheduled for cataract surgery. My sister-in-law and I along with the group home administrator where she lives, arrived in the department a little early and were placed in a cubicle. Katrina was the nurse assigned to my sister-in-law. Katrina realized that my sister-in-law had special needs and was very frightened. Katrina did not require my sister-in-law to put a gown on or get onto the bed as was standard practice. Katrina said that they could put the EKG leads on and start the IV in the operating room after she was put to sleep.
Eventually, we got my sister-in-law into the bed, but she kept trying to get out and cry out. Katrina tried many diversionary techniques to help calm her. Finally, she called the doctor and obtained an order for a mild sedative, which almost worked. But then my sister-in-law "woke up" again. Katrina also got orders to limit the number of pre-op meds and was very gentle with administering eye drops. The surgery was delayed another hour. We were in the pre-op cubicle for 4 hours. Katrina stayed with us the entire time and tried many things to help my sister-in-law.
After surgery, Katrina took us to the recovery room to be with my sister-in-law when she awoke from the anesthesia. About half an hour later she was moved back to the cubicle. At this time, we were challenged with trying to keep the eye patch on. My sister-in-law kept wiggling out of the mitts and out of our grasp and kept trying to rub her operative eye. Katrina again stayed with us and tried several techniques to help.
Eventually, Katrina took the patch off, which brought great relief. We took turns holding her hands. Katrina knew this was not a permanent solution. We were facing a two-hour drive home. We would not be able to restrain her during the drive home or overnight in her group home. Katrina initiated a call to the eye surgeon. Katrina suggested that maybe she should be admitted overnight, given more sedation, and have a sitter assigned. That way at least there would be about 12 hours of healing. So that is what happened. We had to wait another couple of hours for a room to be ready. Katrina stayed with us the entire time.
I am a nurse and have been a nurse educator, nurse executive, and Magnet appraiser. Katrina exemplifies the best in nursing. She took my sister-in-law's individual needs into account and adjusted her approach to best meet her needs and support us. Katrina was competent, caring, and compassionate.