Regularly scheduled rounds by nursing staff reduced falls and improved patient satisfaction in this multi-institutional study conducted in 28 emergency departments.

In 27 different nursing units, investigators designed a series of items that nurses would check on during dedicated patient rounds such as assessing for pain, offering toilet assistance, and placing the telephone and television within reach. They found that implementation of specific actions in frequent nursing bedside rounds reduced patient use of call lights, increased their satisfaction with care, and reduced falls. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and call for greater understanding of the relationship between patient and nurse satisfaction with such interventions. The article also shares a nurse manager's story of how she encouraged the staff to conduct the new rounds and includes an embedded commentary on the sustainability of the efforts one year later. A past article presented similar strategies to encourage greater patient participation in their care.