Med/Surgery Compassion Rooms Project Team, Medicine and Surgery

The idea to create Compassion Rooms was born when Misericordia teams heard from particularly vulnerable patients that they could benefit from more privacy during their hospital stay. A request to the Associates of Caritas brought funding to convert five semi-private rooms into spacious private rooms reserved for patients who are at end-of-life, have lost a pregnancy or need extra family support to get through medical treatments. These rooms afford patients and families added privacy and respect, as well as excellent care. Each Compassion Room offers a radio, mini-fridge with juice and sandwiches and access to Covenant Cuisine so families can dine together.

With the creation of Compassion Rooms came staff desire to increase their knowledge of end-of-life care. Nurses on medicine and surgery units received education, including an end-of-life pathway and the white rose program, and they have since felt more empowered to prepare families for what they may encounter as a loved one passes on.