Dissemination Plan
Dissemination Plan: Hourly Nursing Rounds
Ronald Douglass Jr.
Saint Joseph College of Maine
Dissemination Plan: Hourly Nursing Rounds Hourly nursing rounds as reported by Halm (2009), is the systematic, scheduled checking of patient needs in an hourly format by nursing and associated staff. Patient needs and wants will be assessed hourly related to four basic areas: pain, posturing, potty, and proximity of commonly used items. Hourly nursing rounds is described by Deitrick, Baker, Paxton, Flores and Swavely, (2012), as an evidence based intervention, developed to anticipate patient needs, reducing unscheduled call bells, and by so increasing patient and nurse safety and satisfaction. Patient satisfaction has become increasingly important, as hospitals and other healthcare institutions have struggled to maintain levels of service, and fiscal stability in the face of increasing regulatory controls, shrinking reimbursement rates, and increased competition (Buerhaus, 2012). Patient safety has likewise become increasingly important to organizations in 2008, when the Center for Medicare and Medicaid developed a list of eight negative patient outcomes, which should never happen to patients while under the care of hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Designated as never occurrences they would no longer be eligible for reimbursement for care provided (Tevington, 2012). The first four of these conditions; falls with injury, pressure ulcers, catheter associated UTI’s and vascular associated infections, as reported by Buerhaus, DesRoches, Donelan and Hess (2009) are directly related to nursing care. Additional pressure relating to competition has resulted as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services now collects and reports patient satisfaction data generated through patient surveys. Nursing care has been identified by Blakley, Kroth and Gregson (2011), as the driving force behind patient perceptions of safety and satisfaction. The
Ronald Douglass Jr.
Saint Joseph College of Maine
Dissemination Plan: Hourly Nursing Rounds Hourly nursing rounds as reported by Halm (2009), is the systematic, scheduled checking of patient needs in an hourly format by nursing and associated staff. Patient needs and wants will be assessed hourly related to four basic areas: pain, posturing, potty, and proximity of commonly used items. Hourly nursing rounds is described by Deitrick, Baker, Paxton, Flores and Swavely, (2012), as an evidence based intervention, developed to anticipate patient needs, reducing unscheduled call bells, and by so increasing patient and nurse safety and satisfaction. Patient satisfaction has become increasingly important, as hospitals and other healthcare institutions have struggled to maintain levels of service, and fiscal stability in the face of increasing regulatory controls, shrinking reimbursement rates, and increased competition (Buerhaus, 2012). Patient safety has likewise become increasingly important to organizations in 2008, when the Center for Medicare and Medicaid developed a list of eight negative patient outcomes, which should never happen to patients while under the care of hospitals and other healthcare institutions. Designated as never occurrences they would no longer be eligible for reimbursement for care provided (Tevington, 2012). The first four of these conditions; falls with injury, pressure ulcers, catheter associated UTI’s and vascular associated infections, as reported by Buerhaus, DesRoches, Donelan and Hess (2009) are directly related to nursing care. Additional pressure relating to competition has resulted as the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services now collects and reports patient satisfaction data generated through patient surveys. Nursing care has been identified by Blakley, Kroth and Gregson (2011), as the driving force behind patient perceptions of safety and satisfaction. The
References: Blakley, D., Kroth, M., & Gregson, J. (2011). The impact of nurse rounding on patient Satisfaction in a medical-surgical hospital unit Buerhaus,P., (2010). It’s Time to Stop the Regulation of Hospital Nurse Staffing Dead in its Tracks.Nursing Economics, 28 (2), 110-113. Buerhaus, P., DesRoches, C., Donelan, K., & Hess,R., (2009). Registered Nurses’ Perceptions of Nurse Staffing Ratios and New Hospital Payment Regulations Ford, B. (2010). Hourly rounding: A strategy to improve patient satisfaction scores. Medsurg Nursing, 19(3), 188-191. Gardner, G., Woollett, K., Daly, N., & Richardson, B. (2009). Measuring the effect of patient Comfort rounds on practice environment and patient satisfaction: A pilot study Halm, M., (2009). Hourly rounds: What does the evidence indicate? American Journal of Critical Care, 18 (6), 581-584. Meade, C., Bursell, A., & Ketelsen, L. (2006). Effects of Nursing rounds on patients’ call light use, satisfaction, and safety Melnyk, B., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2010). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (2nd ed.) Miller, P. (2009). Back to Basics: The Keys to Nurse Staffing. Trustee, 1-4. Tevington, P., (2011). Mandatory Nurse-Patient Ratios. Medsurg Nursing, 20 (5), 265-268.