Intentional rounding was introduced in the UK in 2012 to improve direct nursing care. Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust (LWFT) introduced intentional nursing rounds, called comfort rounds, in 2013. These are carried out and documented by nursing staff who check the patients in their care every two hours, particularly in relation to pain management, nutritional needs, hygiene and toilet needs, and overall comfort.
In September 2015, LWFT introduced daily matron ward rounds (MWRs) following a directive from the trust’s chief executive to provide assurance that comfort rounds were completed and that patient feedback was acted on in a timely manner. This article presents findings from an evaluation of the initiative and describes how daily MWRs improve patient experience and staff morale but are resource intensive. Further qualitative research of their effect on staff morale and well-being, as well as patient experience, is recommended.
Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2018.e1762
CitationMennim D, Moen C (2018) Evaluation of matron ward rounds to enhance patient experience and improve staff morale. Nursing Management. doi: 10.7748/nm.2018.e1762
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software
Correspondence Conflict of interestNone declared
AcknowledgementThe authors would like to thank staff at Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
Published online: 12 December 2018
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