AHN Jefferson's new 'Connection Rounding' comforts patients, staff

Visitor restrictions at hospitals during the covid-19 pandemic have caused a lot of angst, said a nurse at Jefferson Hospital.

“Family is a person’s support system,” said Irma D’Antonio, manager of nursing quality and patient experience at Allegheny Health Network’s Jefferson Hospital.

That’s why she and her colleagues created “Connection Rounding,” the hospital’s new practice in which nurses make rounds to patients with a “comfort cart” that features snacks, teas and activities. Nurses on these rounds also offer hand and back massages to help patients fall asleep.

The rounds include technology lessons, either on a provided tablet or on patients’ devices. For example, some older patients, D’Antonio said, need help figuring out how to video chat with family members.

D’Antonio said the new program helps ease anxiety in nurses and patients.

“With the governor’s mandate of social distancing, it really posed a unique challenge for everyone,” D’Antonio said. “The restrictions on family visitations — although necessary — there’s seclusion and loneliness in our vulnerable population.”

The pandemic also prompted hospitals, for a time, to halt non-elective surgeries. D’Antonio said the move meant some nurses didn’t have patients to check up on. The connection rounding gave them a helpful task to fulfill.

“So (hospital leadership) is brainstorming with having nurses on each unit incorporate this into their everyday realm,” D’Antonio said.

She said the extra level of care during this time, and any other time, contributes to a patient’s emotional experience in the hospital – which is often marked by too much “science.”

“When you’re able to connect on an emotional level,” she said, “that creates strong bonds and trust.”