Working Life: It’s a privilege to support patients with chronic disease

Barbara O’Gorman, telephone triage nurse, SMILE Service, Caredoc

SMILE triage nurse Barbara O’Gorman at Caredoc, Carlow. Picture: Alf Harvey.

7am

Once my husband, Darren, and two teenage boys, Liam and Tadhg, are dispatched to work and school, I head to the office, perked up by a strong coffee.

8.30am

I live in Carlow and I’m lucky to have the opportunity to blend working from home with office work. I’ve worked as a Caredoc nurse for 21 years, triaging patients out of hours over the phone. Three years ago, I moved into the SMILE programme, a virtual health-case management service delivered by Caredoc in partnership with the HSE and Sláintecare. SMILE stands for supporting multi-morbidity self-care through integration, learning and ehealth. It’s designed to support patients with chronic disease. It combines nursing experience and remote monitoring of patients’ health, to support people to live more independently and healthily.

9am

The SMILE nursing team gathers virtually to plan the day. After checking the diary for our schedule of patient calls and alerts, tasks are shared among the team. Each patient is afforded the time they need, with a bespoke holistic care plan developed for everyone using the service.

11am

I check emails from chronic disease hub health professionals, acute hospital services and GPs. An alert comes in from a patient’s device, showing signs of deterioration; their blood pressure is reading high. I contact them to assess the cause of the problem. If we cannot resolve it, we liaise with their clinical nurse specialist or contact their GP to agree an action plan. This allows for early intervention and prevention of further deterioration of a patient’s condition. It also helps decrease the likelihood of the patient needing to visit the emergency department.

12am

The SMILE nursing team meets again for feedback on the morning. The aim is to maximise everyone’s learning.

1pm

Lunch is taken in rotation to ensure the service is fully covered throughout the day.

2pm

I follow up inbound referrals from GPs, hubs, and hospital specialists and contact new patients. SMILE is very much a team effort and it’s a privilege to be able to support, motivate, and help patients with chronic disease optimise their wellbeing and improve quality of life.

6pm

Homeward bound and time to feed the hungry teenagers asking me “what’s for dinner?” A quick curry, or when the weather allows, a steak from the BBQ before basketball, GAA, karate training, etc.

• More details at caredoc.ie