A new study in the July issue of The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, “Patient Perceptions and Real-Time Observations of Bedside Rounding Team Communication: The Interprofessional Teamwork Innovation Model,” details findings after conducting observations and patient surveys in two hospital sites to examine relationships between observed teamwork structures, communication processes in the ITIM and clinical outcomes.

Researchers observed 68 ITIM teams that completed 685 patient visits in a 569-bed academic medical center (AMC) and an affiliated 302-bed community-based care hospital (CH). Patients also were asked to complete surveys about their experience with their ITIM team.

Findings showed team structures and communication processes were significantly associated with lower lengths of stay (LOS) in the CH, and communication processes were associated with lower LOS in the AMC. A variety of communication factors were operating in ITIM teams including the following:

• Soliciting questions from patients and staff
• Politeness
• Rapport
• Physician and nurse speaking percentages
• Team-oriented communication

“Findings suggest that when patients feel they are given opportunities to ask questions, speak without being interrupted and have their questions answered, they tend to be satisfied with their experience of care,” note the study authors.

The 2019 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award recipients also are featured in the July issue:

• Individual achievement: “An Interview with Gordon D. Schiff”
• National level achievement: “SPOTting Sepsis to Save Lives: A Nationwide Computer Algorithm for Early Detection of Sepsis” (HCA Healthcare, Nashville, Tennessee)
• Local level achievement: “A Model Cell for Transformational Redesign of Sepsis Identification and Treatment: Aligning Digital Tools with Innovative Workflows” (WellSpan Health, York, Pennsylvania)

Other articles in the issue include:

• “Standardizing Opioid Prescriptions to Patients After Ambulatory Oncologic Surgery Reduces Overprescription” (Josie Robertson Surgery Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York)
• “From Pilot to Practice: Implementation of a Suicide Risk Screening Program in Hospitalized Medical Patients” (National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland)
• “Project TOPS: Team-Based Oversight of Patient Satisfaction Through Real-Time Interdisciplinary Feedback” (Mount Sinai Hospital, New York)

For more information, visit The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety website. 

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Note for editors
The article is “Patient Perceptions and Real-Time Observations of Bedside Rounding Team Communication: The Interprofessional Teamwork Innovation Model” by Kevin Real, PhD; Sarah Bell, MA; Mark V. Williams, MD; Barbara Latham, MSN, RN; Preetham Talari, MD; and Jing Li, MD, MS.The article appears in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, volume 46, number 7 (July 2020), published by Elsevier.

The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety (JQPS) is a peer-reviewed journal providing health care professionals with innovative thinking, strategies and practices in improving quality and safety in health care. JQPS is the official journal of The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources, Inc. Original case studies, program or project reports, reports of new methodologies or the new application of methodologies, research studies, and commentaries on issues and practices are all considered.