Listening to patient’s needs

Collectively bringing nearly 35 years of experience working at UCHealth, Beverly Moran, anesthesia technician at UCHealth Memorial Hospital North, and Kelly Jackson, registered nurse at UCHealth Memorial Hospital North, have worked together in the operating room for eight years.

Recently, Moran and Jackson were assisting a patient who was getting prepped for an add-on surgery. He was in distress, feeling frightened and nervous as he prepared to go under anesthesia for an unplanned, emergent operation.

“All of his vital signs were elevated,” Jackson said. “He was anxious.”

The patient kept asking to talk with his father. Listening to their patient’s needs and thinking that speaking to his father might calm his nerves before surgery, Moran picked up her cell phone and said, “We can give him a call.”

Jackson spoke with his father first to explain the situation, unaware if the patient had previously informed his dad about his impending surgery. The patient communicated with his father for a couple of minutes. Although their conversation didn’t last long, it was enough to provide comfort and calm his worries before surgery.

Jackson thought “it helped his state of mind” and that the patient was “a little relieved that he got to talk to his dad.”

“It just sounded like he needed to hear his father’s voice,” Moran said. Afterwards, “he was a little calmer.”

They followed the patient to the operating room. As an anesthesia technician, Moran usually doesn’t stay in the room during intubation, but the patient was squeezing Moran’s hand tight, not letting go.

Knowing the patient was scared, Moran thought, “I’ll just stay. I felt like he needed me, so I was comfortable [holding his hand].”

Jackson and Moran were steady sources of comfort for a patient in need, offering care and compassion through a simple phone call and hand holding.

Putting patients first remains at the forefront for Jackson and Moran. “It’s what we always do,” Jackson simply stated.