A new study in the July issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, “Patient Perceptions and Real-Time Observations of Bedside Rounding Team Communication: The Interprofessional Teamwork Innovation Model,” details findings after conducting observations and patient surveys in two hospital sites to examine relationships between observed teamwork structures, communication processes in the Interprofessional Teamwork Innovation Model (ITIM) and clinical outcomes.
The ITIM was developed and implemented at the University of Kentucky, Lexington in January 2015. ITIM involves bedside rounds that include a bedside nurse, case manager or social worker, pharmacist and hospitalist with the aim to bring these providers together with patients and their families to discuss plan of care, treatment and discharge planning. Initial research documented that ITIM was associated with a reduction in 30-day readmissions to the hospital while it yielded a cost-neutral result from the implementation. Researchers observed 68 ITIM teams that completed 685 patient visits in a 569-bed academic medical center (AMC) and an affiliated 302-bed community-based care hospital (CH). Patients also were asked to complete surveys about their experience with their ITIM team. Findings showed team structures and communication processes were significantly associated with lower lengths of stay (LOS) in the CH, and communication processes were associated with lower LOS in the AMC. A variety of communication factors were operating in ITIM teams including the following:
- Soliciting questions from patients and staff
- Politeness
- Rapport
- Physician and nurse speaking percentages
- Team-oriented communication
“Findings suggest that when patients feel they are given opportunities to ask questions, speak without being interrupted and have their questions answered, they tend to be satisfied with their experience of care,” note the study authors.
