What is Leader Rounding and Why it Matters

By Amy Browder 

At Wilson Medical Center, we take patient experience seriously. We know that you come to us in moments when you aren’t at your best. Even in my unit, where we deliver dozens of babies a month, coming to a hospital can be frightening, confusing and stressful for the patient and their family. 

Leadership engagement is an important part of strengthening patient experience. To help do that, we use a practice called Leader Rounding. Through leader rounding, hospital leaders visit patients to listen to their feedback, ensure their needs are met, and recognize team members who are making a difference. These conversations allow leaders to hear directly from patients and families about their experiences while also providing an opportunity to address concerns quickly. 

One of the most important elements of a positive patient experience is clear and effective communication. Patients and families deserve to understand what is happening during their care, including their treatment plans, medications, and next steps. Our care teams are committed to ensuring that patients feel comfortable asking questions and participating actively in decisions about their health. 

Through intentional communication practices, staff members are encouraged to actively listen and explain information in ways that are easy to understand. These conversations help build trust between patients and their healthcare teams and ensure that patients feel confident in the care they receive. 

During leader rounding, you may have a visit from a variety of hospital leaders. You might see our CEO, team members from HR, the lab, pharmacy, or the Emergency Department. Every department in the hospital has a Leader Rounding team, and we closely track how many visits take place. We want to hear from patients and families who are under our roof as they are receiving care so we can make an impact in the moment. Give us your opinions! 

When I am rounding on patients, it’s gratifying to hear about how our staff has gone the extra mile to make you more comfortable. No comment is too small! We provide a card when rounding, which gives you the name of the leader who visited. On the back is information about how you can rate your stay on Google, and it reminds you about Press Ganey surveys. Those surveys come after you leave the hospital. Leader Rounding lets us help you in the moment, and Google reviews and Press Ganey surveys give us the opportunity to gather even more feedback. We take all of it seriously and see patient feedback as a gift. 

Rounding is truly one of my favorite things that I do each day! I enjoy meeting our patients and hearing their stories. I always ask them what we can do to be better or to go above and beyond. I ask this question because we work so hard to make this a great experience, and if there is something we’ve missed, we want to know. One of my favorite rounding stories was with a former patient. I had been her labor nurse for both of her previous children. As soon as I walked in, she threw her arms up and said, “I am so happy to see you! As soon as I went through the doors of labor and delivery, I asked them for you!” She went on to tell me that she thought her experience was not going to be as good because I wasn’t working, but that was not the case. She said, “I guess you all treat your patients like family.” It was such a heartwarming and proud moment! 

Amy Browder, RN, is the director of the Women’s Pavilion at Wilson Medical Center.