A Trauma Code has been announced. Members of the Trauma Team rushed into the Trauma Resuscitation Room and there they saw two patients being transferred by the pre-hospital care personnel and the Accident & Emergency (A & E) Nurses and a Doctor.

In a quick primary assessment on the two newly arrived patients, the Trauma Team decided that the priority care will be given to the driver of the motor vehicular accident. The passenger on the opposite bed looked well. He lay conscious on bed, coherent, vital signs stable with complaint of mild pain on the lateral side of his right chest.

As the whole team tried to resuscitate the prioritized patient, I as the Trauma Coordinator supervised the team and ensure that the targeted goals for a standardized trauma patient management has been met and followed, with its protocols and policies well-implemented. Then I looked for the other patient, he was attached to a cardiac monitor, the patient was alone but has previously been attended by a Nurse and a Doctor.  I followed up the intended plan of care for him and found out that there was a pending portable Chest X-ray for him. At this moment, the patient still looked fine and started to chat with me. 

After identifying and introducing myself, I asked him, “How are you doing Sir?” The patient replied, “I think I am okay but how’s our company driver? I remember responding with, “Good to hear that you are feeling okay, the other patient is being attended by my colleagues who are trained for such kind of patient, let us hope for the best outcome.” Then he said, “It’s nice to hear that, I will just rest here but please watch over me and do not leave me. They seem to be very busy with the other patient, can you look after me even once in a while.” Then I told him that I will stay beside him and will not leave him. I followed-up the order for portable Chest X-ray from bedside.

After seeing the Chest radiograph, we found out that the patient was having pneumothorax on the right lung field and the surgeon explained the need for an emergency thoracostomy. The patient became more anxious at that moment, he even started to have a mild dyspnea while the O2 saturation got lower by two to three percent. He was started on oxygen therapy. After the Doctor’s explanation, I asked him if he has still some questions about the procedure, he asked some and I tried to answer them as short and simple as possible, then he agreed to do it. Intravenous pain medications has been given prior to procedure to alleviate pain and also help with his anxiety. The simple surgical procedure was a success. Before floor admission, the patient was sent for a trauma protocol computed tomography scan and no other injury has been found.

The following day as I was doing my trauma case follow-up, I was greeted by him with a smile that’s so close to laughing, I can tell at that moment that the patient is happy even from afar. As I near him he said, “Thank you very much for your help yesterday, I am very happy.” I then told him, “I am just a Nurse and I have not done anything “special” to you.” I remember that I even jokingly told him that I did not even do his surgical procedure nor order him pain medications.  But then he told me this, “No, you have done a fantastic job with me. You came and approached me when everyone was busy attending the severely injured patient, I thought that they had forgotten me. I may not know exactly but I had a feeling that there has been a delay with my X-ray but you managed to follow it up without leaving me because I also told you that I do not want to be left alone and so you stayed. You being there with me has made all the difference so for that, I thank you! And please give me a favor, do not ever call yourself just a Nurse again, because you are a Nurse!” I stood frozen for a bit, my throat dried up and then started to mumble the words, “Thank you!” And we began sharing stories and personal experiences so enthusiastically that we have not kept tracked with time.

Joyce Travelbee reminded us that Health is both subjective and objective, that we may exhaust ourselves in advancing our practice by using progress in medical technology, but disregarding the person’s own perception and feelings, health will still not be achieved. Nursing should be provided as an interpersonal process that assists an individual/family to prevent or cope with his/her experience of illness and suffering and if possible, to find meaning in the said experience. It can also be observed that by finding the “meaning” through illness, Travelbee has been greatly influenced by Soren Kierkegaard’s Concept of Existentialism wherein life is considered as not a problem to be solved but is to be experienced.

Furthermore, according to Travelbee, one of the Nurse’s job is to maintain hope and avoid hopelessness. By merely staying with the patient and spending some time to hear his concerns, it can effectively relieve patient’s hopelessness and be replaced with courage and confidence, thus helping achieve the person’s “health.” Effective nursing interventions will only be achieved through establishment of human-to-human relationship which goes through a process of initial meeting emerging identities, empathy, sympathy and finally establishing trust, mutual understanding and rapport.

We, Nurses, should never underestimate our impact on patient’s experience of health and illness. It may seem “ordinary” for us to stay beside our patients, hear their concerns, be a patient’s advocate with regards to their treatment plan and so the list goes on but no, keep in mind that these are already “special” for a sick individual who is constantly at risk to be in the state of hopelessness. After all, you are not just a Nurse but a Nurse who can be the reason for patients to learn how to hope again for those who already lose it along the way. Thinking that you are just a Nurse? Better think again.