Research has shown that presence and purpose are two leading characteristics of good nursing practice. Using them for nurse leader rounding allows nurse leaders to understand patient care better and invoke positive change across the board
What characteristics does a nurse have to emulate to effectively serve the vulnerable population(s) of patients throughout their care? The answer is a multi-faceted one that can be answered in many ways. However, the exceptional nurse must embody an authentic presence and purpose when assessing patients’ needs to be sensitive, holistic, and aware of the meaningfulness of their work. This presence and purpose are what drive successful nurse leader rounding.
Presence
A nurse maintains presence by offering emotional support to the patient and what they can do for the patient. Studies have found that a nurse’s presence and attention to care directly affect faster recovery, improved well-being, and better coping skills of patients. In return, this increases the morale of staff- a mutual benefit that initiates positive change.
Maintaining a therapeutic presence
As a nurse leader walks into a patient’s room for the first time, they are greeted with a set of unknown circumstances. What brought the patient in here? How do they feel about it? How can I assist them in improving and facilitating their healing process? Asking these questions and trying to understand the patient increases understanding, active listening, and empathy. When a patient does not have their support system present, the nurse’s job is to encourage a sense of comfort in often such uncomfortable times.
Purpose
The Humanistic Nursing Practice Theory embraces the idea that nursing is symbiotic, with the patients’ experience guiding the experience and actions of the nurse and vice versa. Think of this almost like a “transactional” relationship: the receptivity of nurses and capacity to care is directly influenced by the information shared by the patient. This exchange drives the purpose.
Effective communication leads to purpose
Purposeful nursing better equips staff to create meaningful connections, address the quality of care, obtain feedback, and instill a positive attitude. By receiving this patient experience feedback, nurse leaders can effectively communicate a more refined purpose to their team.
Example: A nurse leader enters a room to do rounding. They understand that to effectively discuss the patient’s experience; they have first to build a relationship, provide any support, receive feedback, check in on any inconsistencies, and serve as the carrier of information for anything that may need to be addressed (e.g., the patient has been utilizing the call bell and states they are agitated with how long it is taking to see a nurse). The nurse leader recognizes the purpose and can convey to the nursing staff that more frequent rounding is necessary. This is the nurse leader’s opportunity to ensure that everything is “right.”
Conclusion
Effective nurse leader rounding involves a combination of many roles. They must be a nurse, friend, support, and leader. By embodying a sense of presence and purpose within rounding, patient experience will prove more mutually meaningful. Seyzo Health’s digital rounding solutions allow for an easy-to-use nurse leader rounding platform that encourages presence and purpose in the day-to-day with its customizable template options so you can communicate in the most effective way possible for you, your team, and your patients.
