Keep it personal to engage employees, improve care

by Tom Salerno A hospital is the ultimate service sector business, where it's all about people taking care of people. The primary role of a hospital president is to engage employees in the mutual goal of providing excellent patient-centered care. My job, in 10 words or fewer: engage and encourage the people who take care of people. Engagement is a state of mind where people have a collective understanding. Nurses, radiology technicians, environmental services technicians, admissions representatives, social workers and others are interconnected in service to our patients. We look to one another every day to renew our common purpose and essentially recommit to our passion. Studies show a positive correlation between employee engagement and behaviors that keep hospital employees and their patients safe from harm. One of the ways we recommit, reconnect and reinforce safety is through rounding. Doctors round on their patients, checking their progress and updating their courses of treatment. Nurses round on their patients, asking how they feel, checking vital signs, and providing kind, compassionate care. Rounding helps everyone stay focused on what is important: attending to the individual patient's needs and ensuring each patient is safe and receiving proper care. Rounding is rooted in best clinical practices and has expanded into the nonclinical realm. Our department directors round on their staffs. Senior leaders also round throughout the hospital, listening to employees...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs