Effects of nursing rounds: on patients' call light use, satisfaction, and safety.

OBJECTIVE: 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.
METHODS: A six-week nationwide study was performed using a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design; baseline data was taken during the first two weeks. Analyses were performed on data from 27 nursing units in 14 hospitals in which members of the nursing staff performed rounds either at one-hour or two-hour intervals using a specified protocol.
RESULTS: Specific nursing actions performed at set intervals were associated with statistically significant reduced patient use of the call light overall, as well as a reduction of patient falls and increased patient satisfaction.
CONCLUSIONS: 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.