news views Summer 2012
A Publication of the Department of Nursing and Patient Care Services
University of Maryland Medical Center
Hourly Caring Rounds – Every Hour…Every Day…Every Patient Kerry Sobol, MBA, RN, Director, Patient Experience and Commitment to Excellence
Have you heard the buzz? Hourly caring rounds are coming to a patient care area near you! Over the last eight months, UMMC has been preparing to launch hourly caring rounds in patient care areas across the organization. to life for our patients and families. Along the way, Sobol and the Hourly caring rounding, also known as purposeful rounding, is a team presented to several councils and groups to get feedback, tactic used by patient care staff across the nation to improve patient ideas, and commitment to the concept. These groups included the safety and patient satisfaction. Purposeful rounding is defined as an Clinical Practice Council, the Magnet Champion Group, the Staff Nurse evidence-based, proactive strategy used by patient care teams to Council, and the nursing directors and manager groups. engage their patients and families. Lisa Rowen, DNSc, RN, FAAN, The team settled on two models that are prominent in the Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing literature as being effective. They include the “4 Ps” Officer, states, “The goals of hourly caring rounds are (Pain, Positioning, Personal needs, and Possessions) to reinforce our concern for and carry out activities model for inpatient care, and recommended the to ensure the patient’s safety, comfort, and proper use of the “PPD” (Pain, Plan of care, and Delays) positioning; assess, provide, and evaluate effective pain model for ambulatory, outpatient, and ED settings. A control; assess and implement necessary toileting or signature look and feel for rounding was developed elimination activities; and ensure the patient’s desired with the expert help of Michelle Bamburack, possessions – and the call light – are within reach.” Manager of Communications and Digital Signage. A team of nurses representing the major The group developed a patient/family education nursing councils and varying departments, led by brochure that will be easily adopted by all areas. In Kerry Sobol, MBA, RN, Director of Patient Experience addition, the team developed signage that will be and Commitment to Excellence, were on a mission to located in every patient care area and will serve as take hourly caring rounds to a new level at UMMC. In a documentation tool. addition, a group of nurse managers acted as content In July, the team was prepared to educate our and process advisors as the team completed their managers and staff on the plan for launching hourly work and made decisions. How could we make this caring rounds. The team developed education plans tactic our own and fit it into our culture of caring? for managers, clinical leaders, and staff of all patient The team went to work in March 2012 to develop an Your Safety is Our Priority care areas to learn and understand the connection inclusive plan that will bring hourly caring rounds UNIVERSITY of MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER
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Lisa Rowen’s Rounds: Transitions This past month, I had a moment of extreme joy: My daughter Emily started her first job as a new graduate nurse. Ever since Emily’s decision to become a nurse, I have vicariously lived her journey: selecting, applying, and being accepted to her nursing school of choice; studying for and moving through rigorous courses and clinical practicum experiences; successfully passing the nursing board exam; interviewing for and being offered a nursing position in an ICU of a large academic medical center in another state; moving to a new city; and beginning orientation. As a nurse colleague, I want Emily and all new nurses to have a meaningful onboarding experience in which they feel safe to learn new skills, are challenged to think critically, and become integrated as valued, contributing members of the team. Nurses who graduated prior to 1994, as I did, were issued a provisional nursing license that restricted some of the functions and tasks we could perform when we started working. I remember working as a graduate nurse but Lisa Rowen, DNSc, RN, FAAN not being allowed to administer medications prior to getting my license. This bought me a couple of months to focus Senior Vice President and on nursing basics, time management, and performing clinical tasks without the additional challenge of medication Chief Nursing Officer, Nursing administration. In addition, the surgical patients I cared for had average lengths of stay much longer than those of and Patient Care Services continued on page 7.