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The DAISY Award honors nurses for their outstanding contributions to patient care and fosters a sense of connection and psychological healing for patients and families.
In this episode, Bonnie Barnes, co-founder of The DAISY Foundation, about the importance of tackling workplace bullying and incivility and shares the foundation’s origins and mission to honor nurses. The DAISY Award has partnered with over 6,700 healthcare facilities and nursing schools in 41 countries, making a phenomenal impact on nurses and patients by fostering psychological healing and a sense of connection. Throughout this conversation, Bonnie covers the challenge of resisting negativity bias in healthcare and emphasizes the need for compassion alongside clinical excellence. She also urges the healthcare world to explore new initiatives and partnerships, like with AARP, to further enhance the recognition of nurses and underscores compassion as an important tool for clinical excellence in patient care.
Tune in and learn how meaningful recognition can transform healthcare environments and improve patient care!
About Bonnie Barnes
Bonnie spent her career as an advertising and marketing executive. In 1999, her stepson Patrick, age 33, died of complications of the auto-immune disease ITP. The nursing care he and his family experienced during his 8-week hospitalization compelled Bonnie and her family to express their gratitude to nurses everywhere for the clinical skill and especially compassionate care nurses provide every day. So, the Barnes family created The DAISY Foundation™ (an acronym for diseases attacking the immune system) and The DAISY Award® for Extraordinary Nurses.
Today, The DAISY Award is celebrated in over 6,500 healthcare facilities and nursing schools in 41 countries. Over 220,000 nurses have been honored, having been nominated by their patients, patient families, and colleagues. Each nomination (over 2.5 million to date) tells the story of extraordinary compassion and care provided to a patient. The impact of these stories’ public DAISY Award celebrations on nurses and their organizations is well documented. Deemed “meaningful recognition,” The DAISY Award provides healthcare leaders the means to highlight all the “right” going on in their organizations, bringing joy and satisfaction to nurses, providing great role-modeling opportunities, and a way to make tangible the organization’s mission and values. The program helps drive organizational culture, inspires and motivates extraordinary nursing, nourishes teamwork, enhances nurse engagement, promotes the professional image of nursing, and helps offset compassion fatigue with compassion satisfaction.
As additional expressions of gratitude to nurses, the Foundation funds grants for nurses conducting clinical and health equity research, conducting EBP projects, and going on medical missions.
Bonnie is wildly proud to lead this organization that honors nurses wherever they practice, wherever they are in their careers across the continuum of care and internationally.
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