5 East team

When the COVID pandemic brought a surge of patients into hospitals, the 5 East team at Misericordia Community Hospital found itself caring for patients who were not part of the unit’s usual surgery population. The number of patients outside their normal scope became the majority, and the team needed to quickly adapt so they could provide them safe and compassionate care.

Team members developed communications strategies between charge nurses, floor nurses, physicians and interdisciplinary team members to ensure care needs were addressed. Nursing staff learned how to best work with the medicine doctors on rounds, page nurses learned who to page for patient concerns and the interdisciplinary staff communicated key pieces of disposition planning, previously unknown to their nursing colleagues.

Some of the care needs were not expected, including patient self care, family dynamics and financial hardships. Members of the 5 East team developed strong relationships with patients and their families to better understand those needs.

By working together within its own teams and with others, 5 East team members created a stronger and more compassionate environment for staff and patients. As the team navigates the later stages of the pandemic, they are again caring for a substantial surgical patient population, but they are now prepared to care for others as the need arises.