Sometimes the Little things Are What Make All the Difference

The other day I was at work and one of the patients was having a very hard time falling asleep. She wanted a sleeping pill and I told her I would ask her nurse, then I looked at her. Maybe the fact that she couldn't get to sleep was due her positioning in bed. She was unable to move around very well. She was laying in a very awkward position. I asked her if she was comfortable and she shook her head, telling me "no, but I don't want to be a pest". I told her it was no problem and had someone help me pull her up in bed and we situated the pillows around her so that she was more comfortable. She sighed with relief and told me I was a lifesaver (that always makes me chuckle when someone tells me that.) I turned out her light and pretty soon she was asleep. The point of this story is to say that sometimes all a patient needs is to have a pillow situated better under their head, or the wrinkles to be straightened out of the draw sheet underneath them. Before throwing medication at someone we need to think, is there anything else we can do for them? Patients feel ten times better when they are clean and comfortable. We need to keep that in mind. When cleaning a patient, we need to do the job well. If we don't their skin can break down. When giving a patient a bath, give them warm washclothes, it's more comfortable. Let them wash their face, give them as much dignity as possible. When helping a patient to a chair, make sure that they are comfortable. Ask the patient if there is anything that you can get them before you go. It saves trips of going back and forth to the room. These little things that we do for the patients, like getting them a fresh pitcher of ice water, can make all the difference. So, yes, in nursing we really should "sweat the small stuff." It can make all the difference.