Patient Falls, Nurse Communication, and Nurse Hourly Rounding in Acute Care: Linking Patient Experience and Outcomes

Abstract

Research has consistently found a link between hourly nurse rounding and patient outcomes, including reduced falls, reduced pressure ulcers, reduced call light usage, and improved patient experience; however, little research exists specific to patient falls and nurse rounding in acute care settings. This study adds to the body of knowledge by statistically quantifying and providing linkages between nurse rounding frequency and patient fall rates using data from 31 military treatment facilities comprehensively over a period from fiscal year (FY) 2017 through FY2019. Poisson regression results indicated that hourly nurse rounding was associated with a reduction of more than 21% in fall rates (incidence rate ratio = 0.79, P < .01) relative to infrequent rounding, and poorly rated nurse communication was associated with an 8.6-fold increase in patient fall rates relative to highly rated nurse communication (incidence rate ratio = 8.6, P < .01).