Mary Fay Enrichment Award Marks 16th Year

2013 Mary Fay Enrichment Award recipients gather with Jackie Somerville (fourth from left), Estrellita Karsh (fifth from left) and Marshall Wolf (center) during the celebration.

Patients admitted to BWH's Burn/Trauma units with severe burns receive some of the highest-quality care in the region. But could that same quality of care be delivered to patients with minor burns who are not admitted to the hospital? 

This was the question Emergency Department nurses Andrea McCabe, RN, BSN, and Jonathan McCabe, RN, BSN, wanted to answer when they received funding last year through the Department of Nursing's Mary Fay Enrichment Award.

"We identified a gap in basic burn care and set out to boost the competency and confidence of ED nurses with this patient population," said Andrea.

Some of the tools developed to meet this goal were a burn cart and a reference guide to assist ED staff in identifying, treating and discharging patients with minor burns. The McCabes collaborated with ED staff to develop a new set of discharge instructions for ED patients that is consistent with best practice guidelines used by the BWH Burn/Trauma Service. These instructions were approved and integrated into the new discharge module in the ED.

The McCabes joined other 2012 award recipients in providing updates on their projects during this year's Mary Fay Award celebration in September. In addition, the recipients of funding for 2013 were announced. 

Established by Yousuf and Estrellita Karsh, the Mary S. Fay Enrichment Award recognizes the importance of compassionate nursing care in the recovery and well-being of patients by funding projects where clinical nurses have the opportunity to explore and implement innovative and evidence-based solutions to complex patient and clinical issues. The award, named after former BWH chief nurse Mary Fay, is made possible through the generous support of the Karsh family, Marshall Wolf, MD, and the Department of Nursing.

2012 projects

In addition to the McCabes' project, other 2012 awardees and project findings include:

Improving the Mental Health of Hospitalized Pregnant and Postpartum Women: Alexandra Vilmenay, RN, BSN; Anne-Marie Doyle, RNC, BSN; Drew Wright, RN, BSN; and Katherine Gregory, RN, PhD, developed training for care providers with the goal of understanding the impact of depression and mood disorders on pregnant women and their infants and to improve recognition of mental health during the antenatal hospitalization.

Improving Patient Care and Safety Through Enhancing Interdisciplinary Communication: Margaret Costello, RN, PhD; Suzanne Silvernail, RN, MSN; and Sarah Thompson, RN, MSN, found that the root cause of most miscommunication was not having a good understanding of other roles within the multidisciplinary team. Now, the group is testing ways to further enhance communication. One way includes having nurses carry a pager so that simple information can be conveyed without interrupting care. The team also held a welcome dinner for new residents and showed a video that highlighted all roles on the team.

Implementing a Service Plus Model to Meet the Needs of Victims of Sexual Assault: Meredith Scannell, RN, MSN, MPH; Annie Lewis-O'Connor, PhD, NP-BC, MPH; Amanda Berger, RN, MSN, SANE-A; Andrea MacDonald, RN, BSN, SANE-A; Corrine Miller-Foster, RN, BSN, SANE-A; Robert Fine, RN, MSN; Mary Louise Demick, RN, BSN; and Cynthia Loring, RNC, MS, worked to implement SERVICES Plus-a health care model for sexual assault patients treated in the Emergency Department. This model helps providers identify sexual assault patients and provides education for providers including simulation training and other resources. The model also includes a checklist that ensures all victims of sexual assault receive reliable care and safety planning for every patient. 

The 2013 recipients and projects are:

Claire Zaya, RN, MSN; Jeanne Feeley, RN, BSN; and Cynthia Loring, RNC, MS: "Infant Fall Risk Prevention."

Sharon Levine, RN, BSN; Paul Sedgwick, RN, BSN, CCRN, Melanie Nedder, RN, BSN, CCRN-CMC: "Implementing an ICU Diary in the Cardiac Care Unit."

Karen Morth, RN, BSN, CCRN-CSC; Cynthia Shattuck, RN, BSN, CCRN; Denise Atzet, RN, BSN, CCRN; Nancy Zesch, RN: "Minimizing Blood Loss Associated with Diagnostic Testing in the Cardiac Surgery ICU."

Amy Goh, CNM, MSN, MPhil, RYT; Maisha Douyon, MPH; Ariel Childs, MPH; Swapnil Maniar, PhD, MPH: "Yoga for Gestational Weight Gain in Underserved Populations."