Laura Klein receives DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses

Lauren Klein, BSN, RN-BC, on the 4D Surgical Unit at Christiana Hospital, received the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses for April 2020.

ChristianaCare DAISY Award recipients are nurses recognized for meeting and exceeding the needs and expectations of patients and families by displaying exceptional clinical skills, compassion, respect and partnership.

The DAISY nomination for Klein came from a patient recovering from major surgery. During her stay, new guidelines for patient visitation at the hospital went into effect because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The news was stressful for the patient, who was facing an expected stay of several days and counting on emotional support from her family — especially her husband.

“I was in a lot of pain and on some serious pain medications,” the patient wrote in her DAISY nomination for Klein, “so I really wasn’t understanding what this was going to mean.”

She reported feeling quite distressed and unable to stop crying. Klein and other nurses “came in and tried to reassure me that it was going to be OK, but I wasn’t having it. … My world was spinning out of control and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

Meanwhile, a phone conversation between the patient’s son and Klein was focusing on a solution to help dispel the patient’s distress.

“It was decided that my husband could bring in my cell phone so that I could FaceTime with my family. Lauren was so loving and concerned about me.”

Soon afterward Klein informed her that a wheelchair would take her to the lobby so that they could get her cell phone directly from her husband. While Klein sanitized the phone, the couple had some precious contact.

“Those few minutes with my husband were the sweetest gift anyone has ever given to me,” the patient wrote. “We hugged, had a couple of kisses, hugged some more, and he assured me that everything would be OK. … I felt so much better just seeing my husband for those few, short minutes.

“My crying stopped, my blood pressure went back to normal and I said to Lauren, ‘What do I need to do to get home?’ Lauren told me that the sooner I started walking around the unit, the sooner I would go home.

“I was off and running. … I told my tech that I did not want to get back in that bed. I wanted to sit in the chair. Every time she came in the room I asked to go for a walk.”

When it was time to go home, the patient wrote, “I asked Lauren if I could give her a hug. I almost didn’t want to let go of Lauren, but I wanted to get downstairs to my husband. Christiana Hospital has many amazing nurses. My amazing nurse was Lauren Klein.”

The Professional Nurse Council at ChristianaCare selects DAISY Award recipients using an anonymous selection process based on nominations from patients, families and all members of the ChristianaCare team. All nurses — inpatient, outpatient and ChristianaCare HomeHealth — are eligible.

Click here to nominate a ChristianaCare nurse for a DAISY Award.