Australian Nursing Awards: Joondalup Health Campus nurse best in country

CARRAMAR is now home to the best nurse in the country.

Local resident Angie Monk was named Nurse of the Year at the Australian Nursing Awards this month for her groundbreaking work into reducing patient blood loss during surgery.

The Joondalup Health Campus clinical nurse manager developed a patient blood management program (PBM), which has helped create a 15 per cent reduction in the need for blood transfusions at the hospital.

The program focuses on pre-operative treatment to reduce blood loss during surgery.

“It has been shown to improve patient outcomes, reduce complications, improve recovery time and result in shorter length of stay in hospital – and has already significantly reduced the transfusion rate in orthopaedic surgery,” she said.

“We need to check iron stores before surgery and replenish them so the patient is in optimum condition prior to surgery.

“Essentially we are helping the body be its own blood bank. We know that the best and safest blood for patients is their own circulating blood, which makes PBM preferable to blood transfusions.”

Hospital chief executive Kempton Cowan praised the blood management consultant’s efforts.

He said Ms Monk was “without a doubt one of our finest”.

“Her advocacy and leadership has resulted in hospitals Australia-wide looking to Joondalup Health Campus and modelling their blood management programs on the JHC program,” he said.