New Study Shows Nurse Rounds Are Good for Patient & Nurse
A recent issue of the American Journal of Nursing summarizes a new study that demonstrates that regular rounds by nurses, every 1 or 2 hours, may be extremely beneficial to both the patient and nurse.
In most hospitals, nursing rounds are generally not structured and are in response to a patient’s medicinal needs. Included in this study were 27 nursing units from 14 hospitals located in the United States. During the six weeks covered by the study, 15 of the units began using a 1 or 2 hour round schedule and the other 12 served as controls.
In particular, the study found that both 1 and 2 hour rounds resulted in:
- Increased safety (fewer falls);
- Increased level of patient satisfaction;
- Decreased use of patient’s call light.
As it turns out, the initial concerns that nurses had regarding the amount of time these rounds would consume were allayed by the end of the trial. The nurses were more satisfied with the additional bedside time the regular rounds allowed them to spend with their patient.
Source: Am J Nursing. 2006; 106(9):744-753