Jefferson Hospital: Connection Rounding helps to ease patient loneliness

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

The coronavirus pandemic has forced residents, businesses and schools to adapt to shutdowns, layoffs and reduced hours.

A perfect example of people coming together and using the changes to improve these dark and lonely times is taking place at Allegheny Health Network’s Jefferson Hospital.

A recently developed Connection Rounding initiative showcases what happens when nurses, faced with decreasing elective surgery patients at the hospital due to COVID-19, decide to join together and use their abilities in other areas of the hospital.

The initiative is a result of the hospital receiving calls and concerns from patients’ family members who are not allowed inside the hospital to visit their loved ones in an effort to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The initiative involves nurses, normally helping patients prepare for elective surgeries, visiting the rooms of non-coronavirus patients who feel isolated, lonely and frustrated.

Nurses will visit the patients once a day with aid that runs the gamut from a “comfort cart” featuring snacks, teas and activities to hand and back massages or helping patients stay in touch with family members by instructing them how to use technology such as Zoom, MyChart and Facetime on cellphones and tablets.

“Social distancing has created unique challenges and due to restrictions at the hospital it started causing loneliness and seclusion in the hospital’s population,” said Irma D’Antonio, the hospital’s manager of nursing quality and patient experience. “Family members were frightened and felt isolated from loved ones. The families were accustomed to being part of the decision process. We needed to fix that.”

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