The establishment of a healthcare facility revolves around one core objective: the provision of impeccable patient care. Patient satisfaction lies at the heart of healthcare. And it is this purpose that gave birth to the notion of 5Ps.
Doctors and nurses in a healthcare setup are consistently on their toes to provide patients the utmost care to cure them in the best possible way. However, the long hours of shifts in healthcare staff work can result in fatigue and burnout. And this resulted in the need for a system that made efficient use of healthcare workers’ time. Consequently, experts identified an hourly rounding system that helped nurses assess the patients’ condition and improved patient satisfaction. The 5Ps implementation also bettered the HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) scores.
What Is The Hourly Rounding System?
According to the rounding system, nurses need to check on the patients to assess their condition based on 5 Ps. These include pain, potty, position, possessions, and a peaceful environment. They ask a set of questions and assist the patients depending on their needs. These questions are either scripted or based upon the healthcare staff’s experience on the rounds. It is better to train the team according to defined objectives and give them a guideline to follow. It aids in standardizing the process of patient care and helps maintain quality. You can read SealSkin’s article about patient care and understand how standardization of healthcare processes helps patient upkeep. However, the bottom line is that staff has to conduct hourly rounds and cater to their needs.
What Are The 5Ps of The Rounding System?
A detailed overview of what the 5Ps include is below. However, remember first to introduce yourself and the purpose of popping in every hour. Moreover, the staff needs to keep in mind not to wake the patients if they are sleeping. And during nighttime, conduct the round every 2 hours.
- Pain: It involves questioning the patients if they are suffering from any aches or physical discomforts. In case they are, administer medications or schedule them for the next round.
- Position: Next, you ask the patients if the position they are resting in is comfortable or not. You should ask if they want to move, want the pillows rearranged, or need extra covers. Patients who are at high risk of skin breakdown should have their positions changed frequently. It helps prevent patients from developing pressure sores due to lying in the same place for too long.
- Potty: Most patients would need assistance in moving out of bed. Therefore, enquiring about any bathroom needs is also necessary. In case they do, you should assist them in the washroom.
- Possessions: You should ask the patient if they need anything else, such as the phone, light setting, water, trash can, or anything else they require. Tell them you are here to assist, and you got time. Often, patients may feel overly dependent if they ask you to do too many tasks. It is your responsibility to make them feel comfortable and inform them that you can assist them whenever.
- Physical Environment: Enquire the patients about any discomfort they face in terms of the physical environment, such as the lighting, the room temperature, etc. In general, question them about anything else they need.
Asking the patients questions relating to the above 5Ps allows the staff to address any discomfort the patients face beforehand.
Moreover, experts state that there needs to be another P in the matrix, which is Presence. They also go as far as to say that this is one of the most important and involves being in an active state of mind when attending to patients. Before entering a room, nurses should clear their minds of any stress, worry, or confusion. And keep their focus entirely on the patient they are about to attend.
How Has Patient Care Benefitted From The 5Ps of Rounding?
Undoubtedly, the implementation of hourly rounding has significant results in better patient care. Many patients believe that their needs get now fulfilled even before they have to buzz the call light. It has also significantly reduced the ratio of patients falling while doing tasks on their own. It provides patients the assurance that they are under excellent care, and the staff is attentive to their needs and requirements.
In patients that suffer from risks of developing pressure sores due to lying in the same position for long hours, it is essential to move them frequently. Hourly rounding provides nurses the opportunity to address this. And it is also why facilities reported lower cases of skin breakdown after the implementation of hourly rounding. Moreover, they also help with reduced call lights and, in turn, result in better efficiency and staff satisfaction.
Conclusion
Healthcare facilities consistently aim at providing patients with impeccable care and attention throughout their treatments. And one way to do this is by implementing the system of hourly rounding. It helps nurses to address issues before they arise actively. And hence, it also results in better efficiency and satisfaction for both the staff and the patients. Leveraging the 5Ps we mentioned above is an excellent way to meet the objective of providing better, more patient-centered care.