Abstract Body: Background: A post-pandemic culture without interdisciplinary rounds has led to a lack of communication between providers and nurses. This has negatively impacted patient experience and resulted in a perceived lack of collaboration among team members.
Purpose: To demonstrate the positive impact of nurse navigator (NN) facilitated interdisciplinary rounds on patient experience scores, as well as nursing and provider opinions of communication respectively
Methods: Six months of Press Ganey© patient experience data for focus item ‘Staff worked together to care for you’ was collected for our neuroscience floors (N9 and N11) prior to starting a new rounding process. NN developed a protocol for interdisciplinary rounds and communicated this with nursing, providers, and unit secretaries. NN educated nurses and providers about the evidence-based benefits of team rounds. Unit secretary announced teams overhead as they arrived on the floor. NN facilitated introductions and in-person information sharing between nurses and providers. A survey was administered to nurses and providers to evaluate their opinions about quality of communication and perceived barriers to communication during floor rounds both in the pre- and post-implementation phase.
Results: Press Ganey© scores for ‘Staff worked together to care for you’ improved on both floors post-implementation. The hospital designated Top Box Score for N9 was met 3/6 months (50%) following the initiation of interdisciplinary rounds compared to 2/6 months (33%) prior. The average six-month Top Box Score for N9 improved from 59% to 67% and that of N11 improved from 65% to 74%. Twenty nursing surveys and 15 provider surveys were received pre- and post-implementation. Post-implementation surveys showed 40% of nurses rated the quality of Neurology provider communication Very Good compared to 15% prior. Nurses reported an increased comfort level in approaching Neurology providers with questions and concerns (80% Very/Extremely comfortable compared to 62% prior). An overwhelming 80% of providers endorsed being able to identify patient’s nurse as Very Easy/Somewhat Easy vs 39% prior and reported discussing patient’s plan of care with the nurse in person during rounds Often/Very Often 40% of the time vs 17% prior.
Conclusions: Instituting nurse navigator facilitated interdisciplinary rounds is an effective way to improve patient experience and promote communication and a collaborative work milieu among team members.