Abstract
Problem: Patient falls within the hospital setting continue to be a problem and are associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality. A medical-surgical unit within a community hospital has identified falls as a problem and fall rates have exceeded the unit assigned benchmark. Many healthcare facilities are using the method of rounding addressing the 4P’s (possessions, position, pain, and potty). Despite using the 4 P’s rounding, there has been an increase in patient falls and miscommunication among staff and patients. Purpose: The purpose of this project was to increase utilization of the rounding clock, a complementary tool for purposeful rounding which assesses the 4P’s on a medical/surgical unit of a community hospital. Methods: The QI project focused on utilizing the rounding clock, which encompasses the 4P’s. Through random observation of the nursing assistant and patient interaction, weekly data collection and analysis highlighted purposeful rounding while achieving the goal of 100% reduction in falls by the end of the QI project. Data collection was entered weekly and analyzed by the project leader. Falls knowledge and self-assessment of competency was collected pre-implementation. Results: Nursing assistants (81%) received education pre-implementation. Compliance averages for rounding observations increased 16%, rounding clock 18%, and communication board documentation (24%) from September which was used as a baseline to October through December. The unit had 16 falls in calendar year 2020 with a falls rate of 3.16 (falls rate per 1,000 patient days); total falls decreased to 9 in calendar year 2021 with a fall rate of 1.187, which was below the target of 1.86 or less. Conclusion: The goal of 0% falls was not met. Though the QI project did not yield the target goal of 0% falls, with the increase in purposeful rounding, despite the multifaceted limitations, the overall patient fall rate decreased by 44% which is supported by the literary reviews.Keywords: purposeful rounding, hourly rounding, fall prevention, nurse communication, patient satisfaction, patient outcomes.
FAQs
The purposeful hourly rounding program was effective in decreasing the fall rate from an average of 2 to 0 falls per 1,000 patient days for two consecutive months.
What are the 5 P's of purposeful rounding? ›
Essential components of hourly rounding, often referred to as the “5 P's”, include assessing pain, restroom needs, proximity of possessions, patient position, and safety of environment for patients every hour during waking hours (Brosey & March, 2015).
What are the 4 P's of purposeful rounding? ›
Many healthcare facilities are using the method of rounding addressing the 4P's (possessions, position, pain, and potty). Despite using the 4 P's rounding, there has been an increase in patient falls and miscommunication among staff and patients.
What are the 4 P's of falls prevention? ›
Falls Prevention Strategies
The 4P's stand for: Pain, Position, Placement, and Personal Needs. This approach may be used by various caregivers and members of the care team to help prevent falls, and to develop a culture that checks in with the resident and addresses their needs at different times of the day.
What is purposeful rounding? ›
Purposeful rounding is defined as a proactive, systemic, nurse-driven, evidence-based intervention that helps anticipate and address patient needs, helps create a quality patient-provider relationship [1]. That relationship is a tried-and-true component to improve the patient experience.
Does 20 minute rounding reduce falls in an aged care setting? ›
The study investigated if 20-min rounding reduced falls in aged-care facilities. Overall, falls were reduced for residents of the aged-care facilities.
What are the 5 P's in quality improvement? ›
Utilizing the 5P framework to assess one's microsystem is a reasonable place to start. This chapter provides a quick reference on performing a microsystem assessment in various healthcare settings, highlighting the 5Ps, including purpose, patients, professionals, processes, and patterns.
What are the 5 P's to prevent falls? ›
Hourly rounding (or more frequent and as needed to be individualized to patient) using 5 Ps (Potty, Pain Assessment, Placements, Positioning and Pumps).
What is the 5 rounding rule? ›
If the smallest place digit is greater than or equal to 5, then round up the digit. Since the digit in the smallest place is less than 5, a round down has to be done and also the digit remains unchanged. Every other digit becomes zero.
What is an example of rounding? ›
Explain the Steps of Rounding Off
If the number you're rounding has a 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 after it, round it up. Example: 28 rounded to the nearest tens place equals 30. If the number you're rounding has a 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 after it, round it down. For instance, 13 rounded to the nearest ten equals 10.
What are the steps in rounding off numbers?
- Find the desired place value.
- Look at the number to the right.
- If that number is 4 or less, round down. If it is 5 or higher, round up.
- Change the numbers to the right of the desired place value to zero.
What do the 4 Ps stand for? ›
Key Takeaways
The four Ps are the four essential factors involved in marketing a product or service to the public. The four Ps are product, price, place, and promotion. The concept of the four Ps has been around since the 1950s.
What are the ABCD of fall prevention? ›
For years, folks in the fall protection industry have preached the ABCD's of personal fall arrest systems: Anchorage, Body support, Connecting devices, and Descent and rescue.
What are 3 fall prevention devices? ›
The three main types of fall protection devices are fall arrest systems, fall restraint systems, and fall prevention measures. Fall arrest systems stop a fall in progress and protect workers through safety harnesses, self-retracting lifelines, and shock-absorbing lanyards.
What are 3 guidelines for preventing falls? ›
Steps to take to prevent falls
- Stay physically active. ...
- Try balance and strength training exercises. ...
- Fall-proof your home. ...
- Have your eyes and hearing tested. ...
- Find out about the side effects of any medicines you take. ...
- Get enough sleep. ...
- Avoid or limit alcohol. ...
- Stand up slowly.
What are the 6 P's of purposeful rounding? ›
The six Ps include: Pain, Position, Personal care needs, Proximity of belongings, Pumps and Promise. If you have any questions after reviewing the toolkit, please contact Patient Safety at LHSC.
What is the purpose of intentional rounding? ›
IR is a timed, planned intervention that sets out to address fundamental elements of nursing care, typically by means of a regular bedside ward round. The aim is to proactively identify and meet patients' fundamental care needs and psychological safety.
What are the 3 P's of rounding? ›
Perform scheduled tasks. Address the 3 P's: pain, potty, and position. Assess additional comfort needs. Conduct an environmental assessment.
What are the 6 P's for proactive rounding and fall prevention? ›
Instead, Herrmann and her team created an improved nurse rounding program known as the "6 Ps" of patient care, or Pain, Personal Needs, Pulmonary Hygiene, Positions, Possessions and Place.