Abstract
This project is aimed at introducing such a practice as bedside report which can increase the satisfaction of students. The proposed intervention can benefit each of the in-hospital patients. It should be noted that the dissatisfaction of patients can be explained by a variety of contributing factors such as the shortage of nurses, lack of coordination, and ineffective time management. To find relevant solutions to this problem, I had to examine scholarly articles that can throw light on the causes of patient dissatisfaction. While doing research, I used such databases as EBSCOhost and ProQuest. There were several items of evidence that had to be excluded. In particular, I did not use the articles that were published more than a decade ago. The collected evidence indicates that bedside report is critical for increasing the satisfaction of patients, improving communication between nurses, and avoiding potential medication errors. This project can be effectively implemented, if the hospital is not understaffed. Furthermore, it is possible that nurses may not communicate properly while discussing the physical state of patients. Nevertheless, these barriers can be overcome through training and time management. These results of this report should be disseminated to hospital administrators and other nurses.
The Effects of Bedside Report on Patient Satisfaction
Introduction
This project proposal is aimed at introducing one of the nursing practices that can improve the work of the healthcare organization. In particular, one should speak about the adoption of bedside report which can significantly increase the satisfaction of patients and facilitate the communication between nurses (Treas & Wilkinson, 2013). At present, many of the in-hospital patients are dissatisfied with the quality of services that are offered to them. This is the key issue that should be addressed. This project will be based on the use of the Stetler Model. This approach is helpful for evaluating research findings and translating them into everyday practices (Bailey & Mouton, 2005, p. 27). This document should be considered by the administrators of this medical organization.
Preparation and statement of the problem
At present, hospital administrators want to find ways of increasing the satisfaction of patients who often point out that the communication between nursing professionals is not organized properly. It should be noted that poor communication may lead to medical errors that may endanger the health or life of a patient. For instance, medical workers may fail to check the records of a patient (Sprinks, 2010, p. 8). This is another risk that should be taken into account. Thus, one should find ways of addressing this issue. In turn, bedside report can be one of the solutions to this problem. To a great extent, this intervention is based on the premise that communication is critical for effective patient care (Healy & Walsh, 2007). Therefore, much attention should be paid to the evidence which can validate the use of this practice.
Validation and literature review
It should be mentioned that the term “bedside report” means that nurses discuss the state of a person and the necessary treatment near the bed of the patient at the time when they come off or go on duty (Bailey & Mouton, 2005, p. 27). The search of peer-reviewed research articles was conducted. In particular, the preference was given to the sources which were published within the last five years. The benefits of this approach have been demonstrated in various studies. For instance, one can mention the systemic review carried out by Sherman, Sand-Jecklin, and Johnson (2013). The main advantage of this approach is that it helps to keep patients more informed (Sherman et al., 2013, p. 310). They believe that they can take a more active part in the treatment process (Sherman et al., 2013, p. 310). Admittedly, one should avoid certain pitfalls such as the excessive use of medical jargon that can sometimes result in the anxiety of patients (Sherman et al., 2013, p. 310). Furthermore, this method is helpful for reducing the number of medication errors and raising the rates of patients’ satisfaction (Sherman et al., 2013, p. 310). The authors analyze 12 scholarly articles that represent both quantitative and qualitative research designs (Sherman et al., 2013, p. 308). These studies were implemented in different medical units. Thus, one can assume that bedside report has proven to be effective.
Additionally, one can refer to the study by Laws and Amato (2010) who examine the applicability of bedside report to stroke rehabilitation unit. One of the main benefits identified by researchers is that nurses can better plan the interventions that a patient may need (Laws & Amato, 2010, p. 74). Admittedly, the findings of the study can be applicable only to a certain type of medical units. However, this study highlights the potential benefits of bedside report for nurses who can better identify potential health risks and plan their workplace activities. As a result, they can improve the quality of services that they offer to the patients. This issue should not be overlooked because the opinions of nurses can be useful for explaining the benefits of this approach.
Apart from that, one should consider the study by Maxson, Derby, Wrobleski amd Foss (2012). The research is also aimed at examining the relations between patients’ satisfaction and the use of bedside reporting. The researchers focus on the experiences of 60 patients; in turn, the scholars note that the introduction of this policy led to significant increase in the satisfaction of patients (Maxson et al., 2012, p. 140). These people can better understand the decisions taken by medical workers such as nurses. This research can be distinguished because it has a sufficiently large sample.
Furthermore, it is possible to consider study carried out by Evans, Crunawait, McCiish, Wood, and Frie (2012). The researchers focus on the effects on this method on nurses as well as patients. This study was implemented in a 32-bed surgical unit that included 42 registered nurses (Evans et al., 2012, p, 292). The researchers focus on the experiences of nurses by surveying them and examining their log books. The authors show that this practice can contribute to the increased patients’ satisfaction (Evans et al., 2012, p, 292). Additionally, nurses spend a lesser amount of time in order to obtain the relevant information about the physical state of a patient (Evans et al., 2012). Thus, researchers also accept the use of bedside reporting.
Comparative evaluation
Overall, these examples indicate that bedside report can be viewed as a valid solution to the problems faced by this hospital. This practice has been tested in different settings and it can benefit different stakeholders including patients and nurses (Alvin, 2010; Sherman et al., 2013). Additionally, this method does not require considerable investment. In this case, more attention should be paid to the organization of workplace procedures. Admittedly, there are certain limitations such as potential anxiety of patients who may be exposed to excessive medical jargon. Nevertheless, this problem can be effectively addressed, if nurses properly explain the scientific terms that they use. Thus, this drawback can be effectively mitigated. This is why it should be adopted.
Application and implementation plan
The implementation of this plan will consist of several important steps. In particular, one should clearly present the results of the literature review to hospital administrators who should see that there is a tangible solution to the problems encountered by this medical organization. This step is important for initiating this project.
Additionally, one should identify measurable objectives that should be attained. At first, it is necessary to increase the satisfaction rates of patients. This variable can be measured with the help of various questionnaires that can illustrate patients’ evaluation of services that they receive. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce the number of miscommunication cases within this hospital.
At first, it is important to brief nurses about the implementation of this approach. They should know how to discuss the peculiarities of care and physical state of a person in the presence of a patient. For instance, nurses should be warned against possible mistakes that they should avoid during the implementation of this program. In particular, they should not excessively use jargon which can be disquieting and misleading. Furthermore, one should make sure that the hospital is properly staffed. It is possible that some of the nurses may go off duty while other nurses may be late. Furthermore, some of them may have to be absent due to some reasons. Provided that this problem is not addressed, bedside reporting cannot be fully and effectively implemented. These are the main barriers that should not be overlooked. This program should be implemented within 30 days.
Evaluation
The evaluation of this program should involve several elements. At first, one should carry out the surveys of patients before and after implementation of this program. In this way, one can determine whether the introduction of a new practice has improved the quality of services offered to the patients.
Furthermore, it is necessary to interview nurses who took part in this project. This interview can demonstrate what kind of difficulties they could face while working on this task. Their comments can be critical for identifying potential limitations of this project and improving it. These are the main aspects that can be identified.
Dissemination findings
The findings related to the effects of this program should be distributed to various stakeholders. At first, one should speak about hospital administrators who need to decide whether this practice can be adopted on a full-time basis. Furthermore, one should consider other nursing professionals who might not take part in the project. This step will be important for the widespread adoption of this method. In the long term, this project can improve the quality of care within this hospital.
Level of Evidence Grid
This Level of Evidence grid is based on the hierarchy of evidence accepted by medical workers. According to this approach, systemic reviews, randomized control trials, cohort studies, descriptive and qualitative studies have different rankings.
Reference List
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Bailey, T., & Mouton, J. (2005). A Review of Models of Research Utilisation. New York, NY: AFRICAN SUN MeDIA.
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Laws, D., & Amato, S. (2010). Incorporating bedside reporting into change-of-shift report. Rehabilitation Nursing, 35(2), 70-74.
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Sherman, J., Sand-Jecklin, K., & Johnson, J. (2013). Investigating bedside nursing report: A synthesis of the literature. Medsurg Nursing, 22(5), 308-12, 318.
Sprinks, J. (2010). Survey shows nurses fail to check patient records before treatment. Nursing Standard, 24(48), 8-9.
Treas, L., & Wilkinson, J. (2013). Basic Nursing: Concepts, Skills, & Reasoning. New York, NY: F.A. Davis.