An hour-long interaction with front-line staff during Patient Safety Leadership WalkRounds conducted weekly or monthly influenced hospital leaders’ decision making on major expenses and helped resolve numerous issues related to safety, says a study in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Analyzing experiences at four hospitals, researchers found that 233 one-hour WalkRounds during 28 months generated 1,433 comments, primarily related to equipment, communications, pharmacy, and workforce. Hospital leaders reported that WalkRounds educated them on where to spend resources. WalkRounds also created a “culture of safety” through interactions with employees, which may foster greater job satisfaction among nurses and pave the way for large improvement initiatives.
Learn to use Executive WalkRounds from the audio webcast "Partners in Patient Safety: Essential Techniques for Financial and Nursing Leaders."
