Will hourly hourly rounds decrease patient falls Research Paper

Will hourly hourly rounds decrease patient falls - Research Paper Example The sample size, instruments and the data collection methods used in all the researches is different and variable. Conceptual framework: first the patient falls in a hospital is tested then the hourly rounds system is incorporated and then again the patients falls after implementing the system is checked and its effect on the patient as well as the nurses is concluded. Research Reports: A study conducted at Crestwood Medical Centre in Huntsville in Alabama reports a high decrease in patient falls after the hourly round system was adopted by the nurses. Hourly rounds instituted in October 2007 were designed to reduce the number of patient falls. â€Å"The initiative, which was designed to reduce common problems associated with hospital stays, has resulted in a 58 percent decline in accidental patient falls and a 39 percent decline in bedsores† (Krischke, 2011, para. 2). When a nurse makes a round, then she makes it a point to check with the patients whether they need help for going to the washroom, or whether they need to change position etc. Nurses also enquire about the patients’ pain and to put in place their possessions like emergency bells or calling bells, water etc which have to be kept near the bed. This will help in avoiding unassisted moves, which may entail falls and obviate the necessity for unnecessary moves. A study conducted in the surgery and the oncology departments of San Francisco General Hospital between the months of June to August 2009 reveals that there were 50% decrease in patient falls in the hospital after implementing hourly rounds system by nurses. Hourly rounds are also necessary in intensive care units (ICU) and these will provide the patients and their relatives immense satisfaction about the patient care being provided by a hospital. Besides, there is ample evidence to suggest that the practice of hourly rounds by nurses is an effective â€Å"intervention that can be implemented to reduce the number of patient falls† (RN &