Evidence-based practice is the study of implementation interventions, determinants, and contextual variables that influence the adoption and application of knowledge in practices and communities. Best practices are those care routines that, according to the literature and expert opinion, constitute the most effective method presently known to avoid hospital falls (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2019). Patients visit the hospital because they are ill, with therapy as their main objective. The purpose of patient safety strategies such as fall prevention is to protect hospitalized patients from suffering an extra injury.
A thorough literature review demonstrates that hourly rounding reduces falls and call light use, enhances the patient impression of nurse responsiveness, and is a vital tool for enhancing patient safety and quality of care. Many individuals who fall without being wounded acquire a phobia of falling. Multiple studies conclude that rounding decreases the number of falls per 1,000 patient days (Hicks, 2015). The primary objective of hourly rounds is to alleviate the patient’s anxiety by addressing the four P’s1, reviewing the patient’s surroundings for safety concerns, and informing the patient when the person will return.
In light of the present nursing shortage and financial restrictions, the paper by Hicks may be utilized to make a change based on evidence since nurses must discover budget-neutral approaches to enhance patient outcomes. Organizations must adopt the EBP model that best suits their environment, aligns with improvement objectives, tackles priority clinical issues, and directs a methodical and evaluative strategy to cooperate with the practice change community (LoBiondo-Woods et al., 2017). According to Hicks (2015), hourly rounds are an independent intervention that helps nurses retain patients by satisfying their needs proactively. Reducing patient falls improves patient outcomes and reduces hospital costs associated with falls (Hicks, 2015). The nursing staff may see hourly rounds as additional effort since they feel they already visit their patients every hour. The nursing staff must be persuaded of the advantages of the hourly rounds. The nurse leaders might commence the hourly rounds to increase productivity and discuss the possible advantages of fewer falls.
References
Hicks, D. (2015). Medsurg Nursing. Can Rounding Reduce Patient Falls in Acute Care? An Integrative Literature Review. 24(1), 51-55.
LoBiondo-Woods, G.; Haber, J. (2017). Realize IT. Unit 6. Nursing research: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice (9th Ed.).
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Evidence-based practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th Ed.) Wolters Kluwer.