The Impact of Nurse Leader Rounding on Patient Satisfaction: A Post-hoc Analysis of Trust, Communication, and Collaboration in Inpatient Care.

Abstract

Trust is a cornerstone of effective healthcare delivery, particularly in hospital settings where nurses serve as primary care coordinators and communicators. Nurse leader rounding-a structured practice of engaging with patients-has been widely adopted to build trust, improve communication, and enhance patient satisfaction ratings, yet its measurable impact remains variable across organizations. This post-hoc analysis evaluated over 22,000 post-discharge survey responses from adult inpatients across a large, multi-facility health system, comparing patient satisfaction scores between those who experienced documented nurse leader rounding and those who did not. Findings demonstrated high overall satisfaction, with statistically significant improvements in communication and collaboration-related measures at select facilities, suggesting that nurse leader rounding can strengthen relational aspects of care that build trust between patients and care teams. The study also highlights how contextual factors-such as facility practices and rounding fidelity-can influence effectiveness. Limitations include a ceiling effect due to consistently high survey scores and missing responses related to the optional design of the survey. Future research should explore how rounding strategies can be adapted to maximize trust and satisfaction across diverse care settings.