Caitlin Jasperson, RN, went to Alta View Hospital to get oxygen for a patient who had run out.
Waiting two-hours for the delivery of the oxygen you need just to take a deep breath is two hours too many. A patient who faced that very dangerous scenario recently discovered that even though his oxygen tank ran out, he hadn’t run out of options.
Homecare nurse Caitlin Jasperson, RN, was making her first visit to the man who had been discharged to the Intermountain at Home program as he was recovering from COVID-19, when she discovered the oxygen tank he’d brought home with him had run out of oxygen. The new program allows medical professionals to monitor the condition of recovering patients from afar through the telehealth system, saving patients money and freeing up much-needed hospital beds. Such patients also get in-person visits from Homecare nurses who check on them on a regular basis.
Caitlin checked in with the patient’s telehealth nurse, Karmyn Swan, RN, who immediately started making phone calls and found out he wouldn’t be getting his next oxygen tank delivered for two hours.
Patti Sparto, RN, a Homecare clinical operations manager and Caitlin’s supervisor, says, “If you go without supplemental oxygen for too long when you need it, you can have serious side effects such as anoxic brain injury. Your heart could even stop if you aren't able to breathe.”
Karmyn Swan, RN, figured out a way to quickly get oxygen to her patient when she found out he'd run out.
Karmyn continued making phone calls and quickly arranged for Caitlin to pick up a tank of oxygen from Alta View Hospital, which was only about 10 minutes away.
Caitlin didn’t hesitate when Karmyn told her the plan.
“Caitlin said, ‘I’ll run right now,’” Karmyn says. “She dropped everything and ran to the emergency room to get the other tank and then brought it right back to the patient.”
“I think there was a definite need and I’m glad I got to be a part of the team that filled the need, but I also think what I did is literally what any nurse in that situation would’ve done,” Caitlin says. “I imagine any nurse worth their salt would’ve rearranged things in their schedule to go in and make that happen if they’d a patient who wasn't getting air.”
Caitlin credits Karmyn with doing all the “heavy lifting” that set it up so she could retrieve the needed oxygen.
Patti Sparto, RN, says Caitlin and Karmyn were right to take quick action when they found their patient was in need.
Caitlin is new on the Homecare team that works out of the West Jordan office, but Patti has already noticed Caitlin pays close attention to the details.
“I wouldn't say that what she did surprised me because she’s so thorough and she wants to make sure she does a good job,” Patti says. “I think it's her personality type that drives her to be excellent in everything she does. I’ll say I’m pleasantly impressed with her response in that situation.”
Blake Anderson, Karmyn’s supervisor, says the nurses who work in the Intermountain at Home program “sincerely care about the condition of our patients and always used their clinical skills to ensure patients are safe and medically stable. Karmyn always puts patients first and will do anything to support their care.”