A Formalized Rounding Process for ICU Nurses at Yuma Regional Medical Center

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this QI project was to introduce and evaluate a standardized rounding process to an ICU care team. Background. Interdisciplinary rounding is a proven and essential part of communication between team members caring for the patient, yet standardized and effective processes are often lacking. Methodology. A formalized four step rounding process was employed for 15 days in the ICU. A rounding checklist was created combining the SSM Health St. Clare Hospital Rounding Checklist by Brown et al. (2020) and The Daily Goals Form by Pronovost et al. (2003). A pre-and post-study design survey was conducted to evaluate ICU care team satisfaction, willingness to adopt and the new rounding process. Results. A total of 15 participants completed both the pre- and post-surveys. There was a significant greater understanding of the patient’s daily goals, plan of care, and pertinent patient concerns using the new rounding process (p = 0.028, 0.048). The new rounding process significantly increased the fostering of communication between members of the ICU care team (p = 0.14). There was no significant increase in satisfaction with the new rounding process, with the time allotted to provide patient information during the new rounding process, or the willingness to adopt the new process. Conclusion. Although there was no significant increase in willingness to adopt the new process, the consensus that standardized format was beneficial in providing accurate information for the benefit of the patient and the rest of the team provided impetus for continued efforts in establishing a more formalized rounding process in the ICU.