Introducing multidisciplinary ward rounds in Malawi: a best practice implementation project

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in the United Kingdom advocate the use of structured multidisciplinary team (MDT) ward rounds since they can enable safe, effective, improved care and enhanced staff satisfaction. Objectives: This project sought to implement best practices for MDT ward rounds in a male medical ward in a hospital in Malawi. Methods: The project was conducted in line with the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework. A baseline audit of MDT ward rounds was conducted with six staff members. Audit criteria consisted of ten best practices, as recommended by JBI, the RCP, and the RCN. Stakeholder meetings were held to review the baseline audit results and highlight areas of non-compliance. JBI's Getting Research into Practice (GRiP) tool was used to identify barriers to compliance with best practices, and a follow-up audit was conducted to determine changes in practice. Results: The results only showed improvement for one criterion, which rose from 33% to 100% (n=6) where nurses attended the ward round. Conclusions: This study demonstrated some challenges in evidence implementation projects and how these can, in part, be overcome. While the results only demonstrated improvement for one criterion, this paper shows how audits can be used to promote best practice, which in this case resulted in nurses being more involved in ward rounds, improvements in MDT communication, enhanced nurse inclusion in decision-making and, consequently, patient care. Spanish abstract: http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A233