Union Hospital nurses ROC their patients

  • January 8, 2010
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When nursing staff at Union Hospital make their ROC Rounds, they’re not playing rock and roll music for their patients. They are making hourly visits to each patient’s room to talk, listen, and check on the patient’s comfort and safety. ROC stands for relationship oriented care. Its goal, according to Michele Garber, director of nursing services, is to improve patient outcomes, maintain their safety, and meet their expectations. The process begins with a daily plan of care designed by the patient’s nurses and other caregivers. The charge nurse and unit manager will visit each patient to discuss the day’s plan with them. Garber said the patient is at the center of the entire process. “ROC Rounds promote better communication among the patient, family members, and the hospital staff,” Garber said. “As a result, this process is helping to improve patient care by reducing the number of falls, the use of call lights, and instances of hospital acquired skin breakdown. Patients can tell us how we’re doing every hour and we can better anticipate their needs.” After spending several days at Union Hospital earlier this year, Dawn Lahm of Sugarcreek was impressed by the attention she received. “The nurses were very attentive to anything I needed. They were always coming in to check on me, my IV, and everything else, even during the evening hours.” The positive feedback from patients has impressed Michele Triplett, RN, a nurse on the surgical unit. “I like visiting all of my patients, talking with them and their nurse who is going off duty as I begin my day,” Triplett said. “My patients feel included in planning their care and the hourly rounds help me better anticipate their needs.” Several months after implementing the ROC Rounds program, Garber said the success of the program can now be measured. “In the first several months after starting ROC Rounds we saw a 20 percent reduction in the number of patient falls, use of call lights dropped by a third, and pressure ulcers have been reduced to near zero,” Garber said. “Feedback from patients, both in what they tell us and how they respond to our satisfaction surveys, tells us we’re headed in the right direction.”


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