Ward stories: lessons learned from patient perception of the ward round.

INTRODUCTION

Ward rounds (WR) are an invaluable part of the hospital day allowing for daily assessment of each patient and their treatment, perhaps the most crucial role of the WR is information transfer.

PURPOSE

This study investigated inpatient's perception of the cardiology and urology WR; in particular, it examined patient-doctor communication.

METHODS

Inpatients were interviewed to explore pertinent areas concerning the WR; a questionnaire was subsequently developed which analysed four aspects: information-giving and communication, emotional reaction, professionalism, and privacy.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty-eight inpatients completed the questionnaire. Professionalism and privacy scored highly. Emotional reaction was neutral, and information-giving and communication was poorly scored which was attributed to the use of medical jargon, apparent time constraints and patients perceived inopportunity to ask questions.

CONCLUSION

The presented data underlines a weakness in knowledge transfer to the patient during the ward round which may have a detrimental impact on post discharge morbidity where understanding and treatment adherence is critical. Improving communication is vital to establishing the WR as a practice of significance in order to deliver superior, safe patient-centred care.