Regular ward checks raise standards of care

Abstract

This article reports on the introduction of intentional rounding at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The approach was piloted and implemented on the initiative of two nurses in wards that ranged from orthopaedic to general medical. Intentional rounding aims to put patients at the centre of care and consists of checking on their condition at hourly or two-hourly intervals, recording their nutritional status and skin integrity, and asking if they need pain relief or help with eating. The introduction of the approach follows concerns about failures in care highlighted by a number of recent high-profile reports.