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All Things Considered
Steven John and Megan Burks

A nurse's simple fix puts COVID-19 patients at ease

A woman wearing protective equipment holds a photograph.
While dressed in personal protective equipment, M Health Fairview registered nurse Sheila Kingston has a photo she can show the COVID-19 patients she is working with.
Courtesy of M Health Fairview

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Imagine being sick and alone in the hospital, and in walks someone wearing a mask, a face shield, gloves and a surgical gown. It could be pretty scary, especially if you have dementia, other cognitive challenges or hearing loss.

That’s why Sheila Kingston, a registered nurse at M Health Fairview in Minneapolis, decided to enlarge and print a photo of herself smiling, then carry it from room to room in a large Ziploc bag that she can disinfect.

“I'll go in there, introduce myself and then I'll show them that picture close up,” she said. “And it's been a real positive experience.”

Kingston said the simple practice goes a long way in putting her patients at ease and gaining their trust, since all they can see are her eyes when she’s wearing her personal protective equipment, or PPE.

“I think it's helping them to feel more included in their care,” Kingston said. “I think we tend to forget that when you're sick — and in this day and age, you don't know what the future holds — you want to have a trusting relationship with your staff. And I feel like having connection from the get-go helps build that nurse-patient relationship.”

Kingston said she also believes any effort to minimize stress can help a patient’s physical recovery.

Nurses throughout the Fairview system have now adopted the practice, as its hospitals take extra precautions such as increasing PPE use, isolating patients and limiting who can visit them to help control the spread of COVID-19.

Fairview staff are also using donated iPads to check in on patients without entering their rooms, allowing patients to see their faces and preserving PPE. The iPads have also helped patients connect with family and friends outside of the hospital since visitation is limited right now.

“Think about yourself when you've been sick. You're used to having people call you on the phone and they come and see you,” Kingston said. “Our patients don't have that security system there.”

This reporting is part of Call To Mind, our MPR initiative to foster new conversations about mental health.