The DAISY Award is an international award specific for licensed and registered nurses—it is the epitome of nursing recognition.
Patrick Barnes, age 33, awoke to blood blisters in his mouth one morning in late 1999. The two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s Disease was quickly admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with the auto-immune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). ITP is a rare auto-immune disease that affects the blood’s ability to clot normally. After eight weeks of fighting the disease in hospitals in Texas and Washington State, Patrick passed away, leaving behind his wife Tena, their 14-week-old daughter, his father, and stepmother.
During Pat’s hospital stays, the nurses delivered care that included kindness and compassion to both him as a patient and the family. The care he received in hospitals in Amarillo, Texas, and Seattle impressed Tena. She and Pat's family wanted to do something to thank the nurses who had provided such great care. A few days after Pat’s death, Tena came up with the acronym, DAISY, standing for Disease Attacking the Immune SYstem. His family established the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses to recognize nurses in any and every nursing field.
Nurses are nominated by anyone in the organization who experiences or observes extraordinary compassionate care being provided by a nurse. Those who can nominate include:
- Patients
- Family members
- Other nurses
- Physicians
- Other clinicians and staff
The Healer’s Touch Sculpture for DAISY Honorees
Each Healer’s Touch sculpture is hand-carved by Shona Tribe artists from Zimbabwe each year. Shona healers are regarded as treasures by the ones they care for. This also describes exactly how the DAISY Foundation feels about nurses. The purchase of these sculptures by the foundation provides help to the artists and their families.
Why is the DAISY Award a great honor?
The award recognizes and celebrates nurses who provide extraordinary compassionate care to our patients and/or families. It honors tender acts of human compassion, delivered in the actions, words and touches of the nurse.
Why did you want to implement it at St. Mary’s?
The System Chief Nursing Officer and Vice-President, Titus Gambrell, states, “I wanted to inspire our nurses and to put the spotlight on them. St. Mary's Health Care System has so many nurses that go above and beyond on a routine basis. The DAISY Award provides a way for patients, families, co-workers, physicians, visitors, and others, to help us publicly recognize the stellar care that occurs with so many nurse-to-patient encounters.”
What distinguishes a DAISY Award nurse – what are the attributes you look for?
- Being compassionate
- Extraordinary actions that contribute to the overall health and dignity of their patients
- Excellent communicator
- Relationship-centered approach to caring for the patient and/or family
- Skillful clinician
- Generous with their attention to details of the care needs of the patient
- Selfless acts of compassion
What does it mean to the nurse?
The DAISY Award being an international award specific for licensed and registered nurses, it is the epitome of a nursing reward and recognition. It gives the nurse the opportunity to stand out and be recognized for the incredible care they provide. Because it is an international award presented in more than 4,500 organizations, it is meaningful wherever a nurse goes. In addition, celebrating exceptional nurses demonstrates the organization's commitment to excellence in nursing care.
What does it mean to our patients?
Patients typically spend more time with a nurse than any other professional in healthcare settings combined. By providing patients and families a way to nominate a nurse who provided them with exceptional care, the DAISY Award gives them a powerful way to "voice" their appreciation of high-quality care and services provided by that nurse.