You already know that rounding can have a positive impact on patient satisfaction, from easing patient nerves to reducing adverse events—not to mention the benefits nursing staff can also experience. There’s no need to say another word—you’re sold! But before you start rallying the troops and deploying them across your organization with pen and paper in hand, let’s slow down and rethink your arsenal.
You may be asking, what’s wrong with the ol’ tried and true? After all, there is little to no learning curve involved with paper recording, it is cost affective and gets the job done—what more can you ask for? While you’re not wrong, that’s really just about where the benefits end. Mobile rounding on the other hand is a method that is less time consuming, makes it easier to find information and is better for data collection.
Mobile rounding is less time consuming
Unlike paper, mobile rounding is a one-time deal. What do we mean by that? Well, when using paper, once hospital staff has made their rounds—and provided they’re not being distracted by another, more important, task or duty—they then must take the information they’ve gathered and file or covert it into a digital format anyways. What’s more, using paper means having to fill out the same information over and over again: name, date of birth, patient ID, this, that. Many electronic solutions can automatically pull this information in from EHRs like Epic to save time on constantly having to do it yourself.
Mobile rounding makes it easier to find information
Put an end to shuffling between files or rifling through papers, don’t even get us started on how cumbersome it is to do so, with an electronic system everything you need is a short search away. Not to mention, being able to address patient issues without having to ask again will let patients know they’re not just a number, let them know they’re in good hands and ease their anxiety—all of which are integral factors of patient experience.
Mobile rounding is better for collecting data
Data collection at hospitals is one of the most important things. The problem with collecting data on paper is that often they can be misplaced, or important fields can be skipped or missed. With mobile rounding once the information is submitted it gets saved into the database and important fields can be made mandatory for completion. On top of all this, having collected all your data electronically, it is now easier for you to find trends to make informed decisions, and affect lasting change.
We know that budgetary constraints and getting approval are also huge factors at play when it comes to getting new tools at your organization. This doesn’t mean that the conversation can’t still happen, or that a bug can’t be planted. Arming yourself with the information you need to make your case is the first step towards something better for not just your staff, but your patients as well.
