Hourly rounding is when nurses and other hospital staff members work together to check on each patient every hour and address any unmet needs.
This proactive approach is being put into place at all of our hospitals not only because it makes our patients happier; our staff members feel like they're doing a better job helping patients.
What to expect as a hospital patient
Here's what you can expect when you are a patient in a hospital unit with hourly rounding.
1. Every hour, a hospital staff member will enter your room to see how you are doing. You will be asked questions like these:
- Are you comfortable?
- How is your pain?
- Do you need to use the bathroom?
- Do you need us to move the phone, call light, trashcan, water pitcher or over-bed table within reach?
2. The staff member will meet your need according to how you answer his or her questions.
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From nurse to patient: Hourly rounding from both sides of the bed
When hourly rounding was first implemented at Mercy Hospital, Fern Sederberg, RN, saw the results right away. "It really works," she says. "Before I started hourly rounding, I was getting a dozen or more call lights every shift. Now it's as low as one or two."
Fewer call lights mean more focused, productive work time for nurses, with fewer interruptions.
"I think it directly improves the quality of care we provide," said Sederberg. "We're more systematic about making sure all our patients' needs are met."
On June 14, 2007, Sederberg came to Mercy Hospital as a patient. She needed an emergency appendectomy and asked to be admitted to her own unit, 2-East. "I just knew I'd be comfortable there, because I knew everybody," she says.
As it turned out, she was even more comfortable than she anticipated, in part because of hourly rounding.
"I really gained a new appreciation of the process by seeing it from the other side of the bed," she says. "I didn't think it would be a big deal when I first went in, but it really does make a difference.
"One aspect I found particularly helpful was when the nurse would ask me if there is anything else I needed. It made me think about things that ordinarily might not occur to me until after the nurse left, like refilling my water glass. Little things like that can make a big difference when you're a patient."
After her experience, Sederberg says she's more of a believer in hourly rounding than ever. "I believe it can have a huge impact on the way patients feel about the hospital and their experience," she says. "I know it did for me."
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