The American journal of nursing
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Multicenter Study Controlled Clinical Trial
Effects of nursing rounds: on patients' call light use, satisfaction, and safety.
There is limited research on patient call light use as it pertains to effective patient-care management, patient safety, and patient satisfaction. Therefore, this study sought to determine the frequency of and reasons for patients' call light use, the effects of one-hour and two-hour nursing rounds on patients' use of the call light, and the effects of such rounding on patient satisfaction, as well as patient safety as measured by the rate of patient falls. ⋯ A protocol that incorporates specific actions into nursing rounds conducted either hourly or once every two hours can reduce the frequency of patients' call light use, increase their satisfaction with nursing care, and reduce falls. Based on these results, we suggest operational changes in hospitals, emphasizing nurse rounding on patients to achieve more effective patient-care management and improved patient satisfaction and safety.