Background
Evidence-based guidelines exist to reduce health care–associated infections (HAIs).
Leadership rounds are one tool leaders can use to ensure compliance with guidelines,
but have not been studied specifically for the reduction of HAIs. This study examines
HAI leadership rounds at one facility.
Methods
We explored unit-based HAI leadership rounds led by 2 hospital leaders at a large
academic hospital. Leadership rounds were observed on 19 units, recorded, and coded
to identify themes. Themes were linked to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation
Research and used to guide interviews with frontline staff members.
Results
Staff members disclosed unit-specific problems and readily engaged in problem-solving
with top hospital leaders. These themes appeared over 350 times within 22 rounds.
Findings revealed that leaders used words that demonstrated fallibility and modeled
curiosity, 2 factors associated with learning climate and psychologic safety. These
2 themes appeared 115 and 142 times, respectively. The flexible nature of the rounds
appeared to be conducive for reflection and evaluation, which was coded 161 times.
Conclusions
Each interaction between leaders and frontline staff can foster psychologic safety,
which can lead to open problem-solving to reduce barriers to implementation. Discovering
specific communication and structural factors that contribute to psychologic safety
may be powerful in reducing HAIs.
Key Words
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: November 02, 2017
Footnotes
Funding/support: Supported by an Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) Graduate Student Award; the APIC ; the APIC Research Fund ; and the VHA National Center for Patient Safety Center of Inquiry, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs .
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Government.
Conflicts of interest: None to report.
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.
