The You Matter basket shows that nurses are appreciated for his or her compassion

Dr. Cindy Lefton, RN, patient experience advocate at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, has been on her mind through the pandemic: the right way to help her fellow nurses appreciate the critical role they play in health care. What sort of human touch could she provide her co-workers during this most stressful time? Through extensive research on the impact of meaningful recognition and observations of nurses’ reactions to being recognized DAISY Award for a few years at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, she heard one too many nurses say, “I don’t do anything special. I’m just doing my job.” Lefton knew that taking their jobs for granted – especially at the height of the epidemic – worsened burnout and reduced job satisfaction. She really wanted to find a way to let staff know the importance of their contributions and show the hospital that everyone who works at Barnes-Jewish is truly valued and appreciated.

Meaning is part of meaningful recognition

In addition to being a registered nurse, Lefton holds a doctorate in organizational psychology. She is a widely published researcher and sought-after speaker in the area of ​​significant recognition. She knows the concept of “existence” very well – a construct from social psychology that is always present in her thinking about nurses. Mattering describes the feeling that one makes a difference in the lives of others and makes a difference in one’s community.

AND test showed that the perception of meaning at work is associated with lower levels of burnout. And if there’s one thing that needs a cut for nurses today, it’s burnout.

Recognizing that regardless of job title, the risk of burnout is present in all healthcare workers, Lefton partnered with clinical nurse specialist Cathy Powers, RN, an expert in compassion fatigue; Sara Shabany, RN, emergency room nurse and yoga instructor; and Sarah Colby, the creative soul of the Arts and Healthcare program, to develop a way to remind healthcare workers that they matter. Their idea, beautifully supported by executive sponsor Shirley Repta, PhD, MBA, RN, was the You Matter Cart (YMC). At a time when nurses and others were unable to meet due to COVID-19 restrictions, this creative team felt they would have to turn to their colleagues. The You Matter Cart team is getting ready to spread joy. In the foreground: Sara Shabany, RN. Behind the cart, from left: Sarah Colby, Cathy Powers, RN, and Cindy Lefton, RN.

A little joy and a few Tchotchkes

The YMC team took a simple wheeled cart and bought many things that others might consider “little things” to put on it. Tchotchkes, as Lefton calls them, including pens, magazines, coloring books, hand lotion (infection prevention approved, of course). They also added a rack of DAISY Award nomination forms (and Bee Award nominations for non-nursing staff) to remind employees when choosing tchotchkes to look out for what’s extraordinary about others’ care.

“[Extraordinary care] it’s always where you look for it, and when you find it, write it down as a DAISY Award nomination,” Lefton said. “These nominations are a significant tribute to nurses, and nurses value them.”

The YMC team spends two to 4 hours per week driving the cart across the medical center, inviting staff to return as much as the cart and grab something that can put a smile on their faces. Lefton and her colleagues at YMC thank employees and remind them that they’re special, similar to the work they do daily on behalf of patients, families and one another. It’s a pop-up experience. The YMC team doesn’t call the unit prematurely to say they’ll come, although they often receive requests to go to a unit that’s going through a very bad time. They keep track of where they’ve been so that each one units receive equal attention. Sometimes they swap what’s on the cart. Recently, the team used a “make your individual terrarium” theme, featuring small air-powered plants and grab-and-go containers. The You Matter Cart is funded by a grant from the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation for Arts and Healthcare. The response to this small gesture of gratitude and appreciation was simply wonderful.

“We were all shocked by the reactions we received,” Lefton said. “We knew that ‘matter’ meant a lot. But seeing the impact was quite a process. At first, people looked at us and were almost reluctant to approach the cart. They said: “For me?” in disbelief. Then you’ll see all these people coping with the cart and the items on it. You could see their body language change – as in the event that they were undergoing a psychological reset. And we were thanking them and telling them they were amazing, the response was amazing.”

Now that YMC has taken on a lifetime of its own, Lefton and her colleagues have created a further technique to connect with staff, this time through music. They call it the gratitude elevator. Lefton and her YMC colleagues greet employees as they enter the elevators after parking and need them a pleasant day, all to the sound of soothing harp music played by Emily Paino-Brenneman, RN, nurse manager of the ladies’s infusion center. “Some people are confused,” Lefton explained. “Some people pass by with the same reticence that YMC showed when we first announced it. But some people stop, listen for a moment and focus on the day ahead, while we thank them for coming to work and being the people they are for their patients and for each other.” We, the DAISY Foundation, are happy with our partnerships with hospitals like Barnes-Jewish, which place an emphasis on a human approach to the well-being of their employees, not to say the care of their patients. While we all know that the health service faces many structural challenges through the post-pandemic recovery, things just like the You Matter Cart show that the art of nursing and health care could make an enormous difference to each staff and patients and families.