Success of St. Luke's Progressive Care Unit Built on Trust in Nursing Staff

The success of St. Luke's progressive care unit is due to its nursing staff, according to Rosemary Luquire, Ph.D., senior vice president for patient care and chief quality officer. "The progressive care unit only works if the doctors have trust in the nursing staff," she says. "And they do."

The person in charge of maintaining and building that trust is Charlotte Knight, R.N., the nurse manager of the progressive care unit. Knight was tapped nearly two years ago to manage this pilot program for chronically, critically ill patients. She credits her staff, which includes nurses, unlicensed personnel, social workers, physical therapists, an outcomes manager, and a respiratory therapist. "I think I have the best staff in the hospital," says Knight, who hires and trains the nurses with the aid of nurses currently on her staff. "And the nursing staff is the key to this unit."

The progressive care unit allows St. Luke's to transition patients into acute or sub-acute care. Patients come to the unit from all over the hospital, staying an average of about four days.

The care patients receive during that time is critical to their successful discharge from the hospital. Patients in the progressive care unit are typically those who need intensive monitoring but not intensive interventions. "It's hard work," says Knight, who asks a lot of her staff. "But I wouldn't ask them to do anything that I wouldn't do myself." Knight and her staff care for the patients while actively encouraging and preparing them to transition to a different level of care.

Transitioning patients out of the progressive care unit is the goal that Knight and her staff work toward every day because, she says, that's what's best for the patient and their families. "And the compassion shown by my staff," Knight emphasizes, "helps make this transition easier for everyone."

The progressive care unit currently has 16 beds, but will be adding eight more this month. And as the number of patients in the unit grows, so will Charlotte Knight's responsibilities. But if the past two years are any indication, Knight and her staff will rise to the challenge of 50 percent more beds and build on the foundation of trust that the rest of the hospital has in the progressive care unit.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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