Jefferson interprofessional clinical rounding project: an innovative approach to patient care

Bedside rounding is an historical clinical model that brings together care providers and the patient to discuss the plan of care. Interprofessional clinical rounding is an approach that uses this historical model to involve multiple health professions. This study was conducted to determine if a model of interprofessional clinical rounding could be implemented successfully in an acute care setting.

Teams consisting of medical, nursing, and pharmacy students were assigned to work with the attending physician (AP) in the colorectal surgery service. Prior to the rounding experience, students met to review and discuss patients' data from their discipline-specific perspective and then made a presentation of the case to the AP, who used these presentations as an educational opportunity, asking probing questions. A structured observation form was used to assess the team members' interaction during this process, and a debriefing was held at the conclusion of each experience.

Results of the observations suggested that most students were very engaged in the process, while summaries of the debriefing revealed a high level of satisfaction among participants. All groups suggested that they had a better understanding of the roles of other professions as a result of the increased communication and claimed that the process resulted in a more patient-centered approach. They also claimed that the additional information provided through the team approach resulted in a more integrated plan of care because input is provided from these different perspectives.

Interprofessional bedside rounding can be implemented successfully, resulting in a more effective experience for health professions students.