Nursing Student Develops Valuable Resource for ICU Patients, Families

Working as a non-clinical intern in Kaiser Permanente San Jose’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) last summer, senior nursing student Trishtine Tran’s mentor assigned her a unique task.

“When I was assigned to my mentor, he told me that the interns had to create a project. I was supposed to find a gap in something that was not being provided in the intensive care unit,” Trishtine recalls.

Trishtine not only identified a gap, but also developed a valuable resource focused on patient education that proved so popular that Kaiser now plans to expand it to other units. 

“What I noticed was a lack of patient education for patients and their families in the ICU. With my mentor’s help, I created a patient orientation packet to provide education and information about the ICU to patients and families.”

While developing the project, Trishtine reviewed information packets provided by other hospitals, as well as content available in various locations on Kaiser’s website. She also sought input from patients, staff, Kaiser Permanente management, and the legal department. 

Trishtine says she was motivated to create the ICU patient orientation packet to alleviate stress for patients and their families during medical emergencies. Now provided to patients and families upon ICU admission, the orientation packet includes a welcome letter, an information guide to ICU terminology and equipment, an explanation of care team roles, a link to patient rights and responsibilities, and a diary for questions and reflections.

In addition, the packet includes general unit information, common complications, and preventable measures. It also addresses age-related syndromes. Geriatric ICU patients, for example, face unique challenges with unexpected complications like delirium, falls, and hospital acquired infections that impact healthcare options and quality of life, Trishtine notes.

The orientation packet, she explains, will empower patients and families through education. The goal is to reduce preventable adverse events, promote self- advocacy, and improve decision-making participation. 

Trishtine was able to draw on insight gained during her sophomore year clinical rotation in geriatrics. The rotation was at San Rafael’s Aldersly Retirement Community, where Trishtine was assigned to a patient whose communication was impacted by dementia.

“It was difficult at first, because my patient had dementia and was hard of hearing, but I was able to form a relationship with my patient,” Trishtine recalls. “It was rewarding to get to know her as a person and to learn how to best provide care in this setting.” 

The ICU patient orientation packet received such positive feedback from Kaiser San Jose hospital leadership that plans are underway to customize it for all hospital units. 

Trishtine, who is now completing her senior nursing clinicals in Kaiser San Jose’s ICU in preparation to graduate in December, also recently presented the information packet at a regional nursing conference in Nebraska. 

Last month, Trishtine was featured in one of Kaiser San Jose’s internal publications. 

“We are immensely proud of her contributions and the positive impact they will have on patient experiences at Kaiser Permanente San Jose, as well as the culture of research and evidence-based innovation that she embodies,” the article states.

Both Dr. Kendra Hoepper, chair of the Department of Nursing at Dominican, and Dr. Margaret Fink, professor of Nursing, attended a presentation Trishtine provided to the hospital leadership team at Kaiser San Jose. 

“We were so impressed with her innovative ICU patient orientation packet project and her amazing professional presentation and positive impact it created among the leadership team, unit managers and staff,” Dr. Hoepper says.

“Trishtine demonstrates values of professionalism, hard work, and dedication to making a difference in healthcare and the community at large and is an example of what we see in our nursing students.”

Dr. Hoepper notes that the majority of the 13 Summer Kaiser 2024 interns received interviews for prospective Kaiser New Graduate opportunities across the Bay Area. In addition, nursing students are seeking and been offered interviews for opportunities for the Stanford Lucille Packard New Graduate RN Residency Program and the UC Davis New Graduate Nurse Residency Program.

“Our nursing students and alumni are in high demand at hospitals and clinics in the Bay Area,” Dr. Hoepper says.