Improving care on mental health wards with hourly nurse rounds

Hourly rounds are becoming more popular on inpatient medical wards and are known to be beneficial to patients and nurses. However, there is little evidence about their impact in psychiatry and what hourly rounds would look like on inpatient mental health units. This article examines the introduction of hourly nurse rounds on inpatient mental health wards in an American hospital, and how they were adapted to the needs of psychiatric patients. The positive effects on patient care and staff are reported.