Date of Award

4-2019

Degree Name

Nursing (D.N.P.)

Department

College of Nursing

First Advisor

Dr. Sandra Spoelstra

Second Advisor

D. Sylvia Simmons

Third Advisor

Kim Doherty

Abstract

Historically, health care professionals collaborated solely with other professionals within the same discipline. However, evidence shows collaboration between all disciplines involved in patient care leads to improved patient outcomes. Interprofessional collaboration can reduce costs and improve patient care, yet is used inconsistently in health care systems. Interprofessional collaboration was not fully used on two medical-surgical units in a large health system in the Midwest, particularly during the discharge planning process. This project aimed to standardize rounds on two units as part of a larger initiative to standardize rounds across all units within the system. The clinical question to be answered follows: Will optimized interprofessional rounds impact discharge planning to reduce length of stay and improve staff satisfaction? In order to answer this question, a quality improvement project was implemented. The results of the project suggested that staff satisfaction and understanding of role expectations improved with optimized, standardized interprofessional rounds. Results also demonstrated a decreased average length of stay from pre- to post- implementation. Implications for practice include the use of a standard toolkit across units within the system. Future considerations include bedside rounding, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems implications, and leadership education for care managers. Education for team members should be done simultaneously rather than unit-by-unit. Electronic versions of the audit tool and survey should be used for the remainder of the initiative. In addition, physicians should be present at rounds across all units. Lastly, RNs should follow sign-up protocol to ensure efficiency.

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