Far too often I see organizations take a one size fits all approach with their leadership rounding practices meaning they set the same expectations and process design across all patient populations. While this may be the quick way to launch leadership rounding It may not yield the results you’re hoping to get, and leaders could become disengaged quickly. Instead, consider each of the areas you have chosen to round on and think about leadership rounding through the patient’s eyes.

Leadership rounding on patients is a common tactic in acute care hospitals as a way for leadership to understand their patients’ experiences as they are happening and to positively influence the perception of their care.

One of the realities of life is that we are constantly giving and receiving feedback. Sometimes feedback is formal, such as annual performance reviews or meetings with supervisors or faculty. Other times it is as casual as a reassuring smile from a colleague or mentor when mastering a new task or comforting another. How we process and apply feedback is influenced by many things. Comments or feedback might take the mind to a similar stressful experience in the past or to a pleasant memory surrounding a success.

As the surge of the novel coronavirus pandemic reaches a crisis level in many areas of the country, nurse leaders are barely able to address the day to day operations of their facilities and units, let alone think about if, and how, they can round on patients and families during this difficult time. But right now, the value of these rounds goes far beyond our patient satisfaction goals or standardization of processes.

The term “extended stay” refers to patients who are hospitalized for a longer than expected or desired. In the Emergency Department, an extended stay patient maybe an outpatient who stays longer than 23 hours or is “boarded” while awaiting an acute care bed. In acute care, an extended stay is one that exceeds the accepted length of stay (LOS) standardized by third-party payers and regulatory guidelines.

Decades ago, as a new graduate nurse working in a small critical access hospital, I had the opportunity to assist a general surgeon once a week when he and his anesthetist flew into our small town to perform any needed procedures. I was able to reinforce the perioperative nursing skills I had learned during my training and was intrigued by the functioning of the human anatomy and the expertise of the surgical team.

The need for efficient and accessible mental health services has never been higher. The isolation, fear, and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated needs within an already overwhelmed and underfunded system. It is important that every facility be able to a) provide safe and efficient mental health care to promote the well-being of each patient, and b) to maximize their capacity to provide care to more individuals.

In 2008, I was approached by a free-standing acute care rehabilitation hospital to assist them along their initial journey to nursing excellence. In 2013, I celebrated with them as they received their ANCC Magnet Recognition Program™ designation. As I reflect on the five years that I worked with them, I don’t know if I taught them or they taught me. I was humbled at my lack of knowledge about rehabilitation care and the vital role of nursing in this interprofessional collaborative practice.

The admission of a loved one into a critical care area can put a family into “crisis” mode, especially when a hospital stay is unexpected. Until the status of the patient is known, the priorities for the patient and family revolve around two areas – information and support. Family members at the bedside are often tasked to keep the extended family and friends informed about the situation or to field multiple calls from those with well-meaning intentions.  This is not a time to ask the family how your team is doing.

No one wants to hear a diagnosis of “cancer” but with medical research and new treatment breakthroughs, more and more survivors are winning the battle for long and healthy lives. But until the prognosis and outcome are known, patients and families have many questions and need strong support from the healthcare community. Patient “transitions” are a key component of cancer care as patients are referred from their primary care provider and navigate through a team of specialists who assure that body systems are protected while aggressive treatments are aimed at the disease.