The Nursing Staff Perceptions of Structured Rounding

Purpose: Although hourly rounding has been implemented to increase patient satisfaction, enhance patient outcomes, and improve efficiency, literature describing the impact of the process on nursing staff is scant. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss nursing staff perceptions of the rounding process using a standardized approach.

Methods: Qualitative research methodology using investigator developed questions gained insight into the phenomena of hourly rounding.  After obtaining informed consent, separate group interviews were conducted with individual groups of registered nurses and patient care assistants.  Individual interviews were conducted with the nurse manager and the assistant nurse manager. All interviews were audio recorded. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi (1978) qualitative phenomenological method to identify for patterns and themes.

Results: Nursing staff perceptions of hourly rounding were related to 1) the benefits of rounding, 2) barriers encountered when implementing SHaRP, 3) how the nursing staff organize and prioritize the work, 4) improvements in the rounding process, and 5) suggestions for house-wide implementation.

Conclusion: Routinely checking on patients has been an integral part of nursing practice. However, the implementation of hourly rounding has impacted workflow of the nursing staff.

Findings, conclusions, and implications will be discussed during the presentation.