How to Measure Hourly Rounding

A 2007 study at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, showed that hourly rounding by nurses at a hospital could save up to $2 billion if all hospitals across the U.S. implemented the procedure. The process involves nurses checking on each patient every hour to ensure his needs are being met. While nurses at another hospital in Florida initially resisted the implementation of hourly rounding due to the busy nature of a their job, the 2007 study showed that it is possible to measure the process' success and therefore, it's value.

Instructions

1

Compare the number of times patients have needed to use their call lights during a specified period of time equal to the amount of time the hourly rounding has been in use. For instance, if hourly rounding has been practice for a month, measure the number of patient call lights used during the one month of hourly rounding against a month when hourly rounding was not in use. If the call lights used during hourly rounding is fewer than those used during regular rounding schedules, rounding has helped save nurses some time.

2

Measure the number of instances of patient bed sores during a month of hourly rounding versus a the occurrence of bed sores during a month of regular rounding. The 2007 study of Sacred Heart Hospital showed a reduction in the amount of bedsore occurrences reported, therefore saving the health care organization money for their treatment.

3

Compare the number of patient falls during hourly rounding to the number of patient falls during regular rounding. Patient falls happen when the patient doesn't call for help, but has a need to get out of his bed. Hourly rounding would reduce the likelihood of patient falls by checking on the patient's needs more regularly.

4

Measure patient satisfaction through a post-treatment or post-discharge survey before and after you implement hourly rounding. While patient satisfaction tends to be more subjective, hospitals that implemented hourly rounding found that with fewer falls, bedsores and need to call for help, patients reported higher satisfaction with the level of their care while hospitalized.