The effect of intentional nurse rounding and nurse prompt response time to Call system on patient satisfaction, patient complaints, and patient clinical outcome: An Audit trial

Background: Improving patient satisfaction and safety is a critical goal for hospitals around the world. Healthcare providers have increasingly recognized the importance of strategic initiatives and the impact they have on patient outcomes.Objectives: This study examines the effect of intentional nurse rounding and the call system’s response times on patient satisfaction, patient complaints, falls, and hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPI).Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between December 2017 to August 2018 in a hospital in the United Arab Emirates. The Intentional Nurse Rounding (INR) and Prompt Response to Call System (PRTCS) were introduced in December 2017. It comprised of: (1) hourly nurses’ rounds between 07:00 hours to 23:59 hours and 2 hourly rounds between 24:00 hours to 06:59 hours daily, (2) measurement of nurses’ response time to call bells, (3) leadership rounds to assess patient satisfaction. The outcomes were patient satisfaction, patient complaints, fall rates, and HAPI rates. Baseline data were collected through retrospective reviews of the data on these outcomes in December 2017. The second period of data collection was conducted over eight months after the initiation of the system, from December 2017 to August 2018. The Chi-square test was used to detect significant differences in outcomes pre and post intervention.Results: The overall adherence to the “Intentional Nurse Rounding and Prompt Response Time to Call System” was 91% while the overall patient satisfaction rate was 97% in August 2018. The average response to call time was 1.2 minutes. Patient complaints decreased from 0.75/month to 0.125/month between December 2017 to August 2018. During the same period, the rates of patient falls and HAPI decreased from 1.17/month to 0.38/month and 0.35/month to 0.24/month respectively. Though the observed differences were not statistically significant, there was a promising difference in patient complaints pre and post intervention (P=0.08).Conclusion: Integrating nursing-led strategic initiatives such as intentional nurse rounding and reduced response time to the call bell system can positively impact patient satisfaction, complaints, and clinical outcome.