In late 1999, 33 year old Patrick Barnes died of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP. Throughout his 8 week hospitalization, his dad and step-mother Bonnie and Mark and his wife Tena were very impressed by the clinical excellence they witnessed from Patrick’s nurses. Moreover, their hearts were deeply touched by the compassion with which Patrick’s nurses cared for him and for them. When he died, their experience drove them to find a way to express their gratitude to nurses for what they do every day in caring for patients and families. They created The DAISY Foundation™, an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, and The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses to provide an ongoing and deeply meaningful way for patients, families and colleagues to share their stories of extraordinary compassionate care and to say thank you to nurses and midwives.
When they started DAISY, Bonnie and Mark hoped they would get to say thank you to nurses in 5 or 10 hospitals in the U.S. They never imagined that twenty-five years later, more than 7,100 healthcare facilities and nursing schools around the world would be honoring nurses and midwives with The DAISY Award. Their belief that other patients and families would also want to thank their nurses and midwives has been confirmed. More than 3.2 million times, someone has taken the time to nominate a nurse for The DAISY Award.
DAISY nominations are powerful descriptions of the patient experience every healthcare professional likely aspires to provide. Patients and family members write their heartfelt gratitude to nurses and midwives who truly make a difference in their care and in their lives. Gratitude for what nurses and midwives do pours off the page and into the hearts of the people who receive it. This gratitude helps fuel nurses and midwives, reminding them of their purpose, re-charging them emotionally, keeping burnout at bay, and elevating their compassion satisfaction.
Today, The DAISY Foundation partners with 85 healthcare facilities in the UK. The Foundation helps each organization create the structure and resources an organization needs to run a successful, sustainable DAISY program. Founded on the need for ongoing recognition and continual celebration of nurses’ and midwives’ care, DAISY recognition contributes to a culture of gratitude in every organization that adopts it.
Meaningful recognition is a standard of a healthy, positive practice environment. The DAISY Award is an evidence-based and thoughtful way to provide it and a strong support for a positive patient experience. The Foundation looks forward to embedding this means of shining the light on all the right throughout UK healthcare facilities.
For more information, visit www.DAISYfoundation.org
