News Release
Decorative caps provide comfort for pediatric surgery patients
January 21, 2009
The prospect of surgery can be frightening for adult patients, but for kids it’s even more so — they understand little about what’s happening to them and, worse, will be separated from their parents and put in the care of total strangers. But nurses in Mercy’s Surgical Services area are taking the edge off children’s anxiety with an oh-sew-clever project.
Many of the nurses in the surgical unit wear their own surgical caps displaying favorite pastimes, bright patterns, sport teams, and the like. Pediatric patients were particularly curious about the hats, and staff found the colorful head gear distracted kids from the stress of their pending operations.
Because the unique caps worn by the surgical staff were such a hit with the children, surgery nurse Elizabeth DiTomaso, RN, CNOR, decided pediatric patients should have caps of their own, caps they would choose, wear and take home when they were dismissed from the hospital. DiTomaso first brought a group of hats to a surgery staff meeting and invited her colleagues to help with the effort.
“This has been such a positive thing. The children love them and enjoy choosing their personal cap,” said Elizabeth DiTomaso, RN. “When the children smile, the parents smile. The children and their families are calmer.”
The core group - Jennie Ganzer,RN, Patti Nutting, RN, Diane Filmer, RN and Dee Johnson, RN, began sewing the caps using fabric and materials purchased or donated by themselves and other surgery staff. The staff began using the caps for pediatric surgery patients during the fall of 2008.
DiTomaso remembers a young girl from the Yucatan, Mexico who was part of a group who had traveled to the United States for heart surgery. “When she returned to the pediatric floor for her recovery, the other Yucatan patients began asking about her cap,” said DiTomaso. “One of her friends came down for surgery the next day and the first thing she asked about was picking out her own cap.”
To date the group has distributed more than 100 caps and continue to be inspired by the reactions by patients and their families.
“We’ve heard about some patients taking their caps to school as they talk to their peers about their surgery and hospital experience,“ she said. “To know that they have positive, good memories of their experience at Mercy makes us all feel that our efforts have been worth it.”
Contact Gregg Lagan
Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines
(515) 247-3050
cell (515) 490-6636
