The computerized rounding report: implementation of a model system to support transitions of care

In response to ACGME work-hour restrictions, residency programs that require continuous inpatient clinical care for educational objectives will be forced to increase the proportion of junior resident experience involved in shift work. Maintaining the balance of education over service at these levels will be a challenge, where a considerable amount of time must be spent gathering data for morning rounds and signing out patients at shift change. Patient safety is an issue with this new paradigm. We hypothesized that computerized sign-out would improve resident efficiency.

A multidisciplinary clinical team collaborated to design a computerized rounding and sign-out (CSO) program to automate collection of clinical information in addition to a brief narrative describing ongoing care issues. Residents returned a self-administered questionnaire before (n = 168) and after implementation (n = 83) examining: pre-rounding time, missed patients, handoff quality, and duty hours.

Residents reported spending 11 fewer min/d pre-rounding (P = 0.006). After implementation, residents missed fewer patients on rounds (P = 0.01). A majority (70%) of responders stated that the new program helped them with duty hours.

The current study demonstrates the reproducibility of the University of Washington model system for rounding and sign-out at an independent site, using basic infrastructure and leadership common to all residency programs. Developing a CSO was associated with a modest reduction in pre-rounding time and fewer patients missed on rounds. Although automating resident tasks may improve workflow in an increasingly complex hospital environment, structured handoff education and other institutional changes are necessary.