DAISY Award—Deborah Watson

Deborah Watson
Home Health and Hospice

Over the past two years, Hospice RN Deborah Watson has been instrumental in the development of the UC Davis Inpatient Hospice Program. From the beginning, Deb's passion and understanding of need for extra bedside RN support in end-of-life care has driven her to become the face of compassion, caring and expertise that is Inpatient Hospice. Through providing outreach and education to nurses on the units, attending challenging family conferences to support patients, and constantly collaborating with families and teams across the continuum of care, Deb has been instrumental in the delivery of enhanced patient care to hundreds of dying patients in the hospital and their loved ones. Recently, one of Deb’s inpatient hospice patients transitioned and she was present to provide post-mortem care. Recognizing an opportunity to strengthen nursing practice through education, Deb asked the family if they would allow her to teach nurses about post-mortem care - the hospice way. Deb, in collaboration with the hospice Certified Home Health Aide, demonstrated to several nurses and students the details and process of saying goodbye that occurs during post-mortem care. It is a time of healing and centering for the nurse and allows the patient’s family to see their loved one clean, kept, and at peace before they leave. This is just one of countless examples of the incredibly meaningful work Deb has done to provide patients with a good end-of-life journey whether in the hospital or at home.