Document Type

DNP Project

Publication Date

5-2022

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Faculty Advisor

Geraldine Budd, Ph.D., FNP-BC, FAANP

Practice Mentor

Katherine Hinderer, PhD, RN, CNE, NEA-BC

Abstract

Introduction: Patient call-bell lights are a means for communication from a hospitalized patient's room to staff members. This DNP project involves staff and patients on a 28-bed pediatric medical-surgical unit. The aim was to implement a No pass Zone for patient call bell lights. Additionally, this project served to aid in increasing staff responsiveness to answer patients' questions and concerns.

Methods: Staff completed a Cornerstone education on the No Pass Zone. Data was collected from pre/post-implementation staff surveys and pre/post-implementation Press Ganey scores. Weekly staff audits on direct observation of staff response to patients' call-bell lights.

Results: A total of 35 out of 61 medical-surgical unit staff completed the educational Cornerstone module. Press Ganey reports showed an increase in staff responsiveness to call bells from 71.43% in June 2021 to 78.57% in September 2021, 79.62% in October 2021, and 79.85% in November 2021. Post-project surveys showed 87.50% of staff who completed the measure agreed that implementing a call-bell management protocol resulted in quicker staff response times. Staff audits showed patient wait times decreased from 10-15-minutes to a 2-3-minutes.

Conclusion: The No Pass Zone proved an adoptable protocol for patient call-bell light response that demonstrated benefit on one hospital unit. Staff voiced positive feedback to staff responsiveness. Lastly, with adequate staffing levels and the willingness of staff and supervisory roles, the No Pass Zone can effectively improve the current workflow.

Comments

A DNP project submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.


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