04.10.12
RCP and RCN call for joint priority on ward rounds
Ward rounds should be made the cornerstone of patient care, a joint statement from the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nurses recommends.
The colleges highlight “considerable” variation in how and why ward rounds are conducted, and suggest their clinical importance to patients is often underestimated.
Ward rounds can be key vehicles to coordinate care, build trust with patients, collect essential information and improve safety. The practice must remain a priority, despite pressures for time and staff, the statement warns.
The recommendations include: a pre-round briefing; consultant-led rounds to be conducted in the morning; a nurse present at every bedside during rounds; a summary sheet of information discussed to be provided to patients, carers and relatives; patients with dementia or learning difficulties supported as far as possible to make decisions about their care; and keeping records centrally for effective communication and team working.
The guidance reads: “Medical ward rounds are complex clinical activities, critical to providing high-quality, safe care for patients in a timely, relevant manner.
“Despite being a key component of daily hospital activity, ward rounds remain a much neglected part of the planning and organisation of inpatient care.”
See: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/ward-rounds-in-medicine-web.pdf
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