The medical ward round: evidence, pitfalls, and tips

Ward rounds are pivotal for patient-centered care and bedside teaching. In today's hospitals, care is provided by multidisciplinary and multiprofessional teams. To conduct an effective and efficient ward round, active patient involvement is essential, and the input from all team members must be shared and integrated into the diagnostic and therapeutic plan. The organization and structure of ward rounds, the roles and responsibilities of participants, the preparation before the round, and the communication rules must be clearly defined. Successful ward rounds require a focused, explicitly structured, patient-centered communication, and a balanced interprofessional information exchange. Bedside interprofessional ward rounds preceded by a discussion of the patient's condition and clinical course outside the room appear to optimally support comprehensive, collaborative patient-centered care, while fostering alignment within the interprofessional healthcare team. However, stringent round structure and strong leadership are needed to ensure active involvement of all interprofessional team members, and time efficiency.