Nursing Research Article Critique

Nursing Research article critique

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

November 2007

The article Effects of nursing rounds on patients ' call light use satisfaction and safety as reported by Meade , Bursell Ketelsen (2006 examines the possible implications that implementation of regular rounds by nurses might have on patients and nurses . The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which the frequency of responding to call lights `affects patient-care management ' and the possible contribution that frequent nurse presence can make . The independent

variables are scheduled one-hour or two-hour rounds as they affect the dependent variables of number and frequency of patient use of call button , patient satisfaction and the safety of patients

The research functions under the hypothesis that scheduled rounds by nursing staff , involving the performance of certain mundane tasks related to patient comfort and concerns , on medical , surgical or medical-surgical wards would have the effect of reducing the rate of use of call lights by patients , of increasing overall patient satisfaction and of improving the safety of patients . The relationship between the dependent and independent variables is thus expected to be positive This hypothesis directly aligns with the specific purpose of the study

The literature reviewed in this study is quite comprehensive covering material from both classic and modern sources . Materials cited are from primary data sources and the majority fall within five years prior to the research . The concepts examined are rounding , patient satisfaction and call light usage . Table 1 provides a list of activities involved in rounding procedures . The literature review examines prior research exploring the variables under consideration such as the correlation between rounding and patient safety and between rounding and frequency of use of call light . The authors note , however , that specific research exploring the relationship of the nursing rounds on the aforementioned variables is lacking or inadequate . This research presents new knowledge on the correlation between scheduled rounds by nurses only and improved care delivery

The theoretical framework that forms the basis of the research is that `improved patient-care management and patient satisfaction and safety are achievable with interventions that nurses can initiate and carry out ' The research is of a quasi-experimental design which means that the researcher had little influence over the assignment of the hospital units into either of the experimental or control group . Hospitals opted to experiment with either a one-hour or a two-hour round in a medical surgical or medical-surgical unit plus a control group in a separate unit over a four week period . Some administrators were asked to change a particular choice , however , so as to ensure equitable distribution across groups . Nurses in the experimental groups were trained on the procedures to follow during the rounds . The control group received no intervention but was briefed on how to record the use of call lights by patients

The sample consists of 46 units in 22 hospitals across 14 states and representing both urban and rural populations . To be eligible hospitals were...