Standardized Attending Rounds to Improve the Patient Experience: A Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Experience
• Clinical Operations

Background:

• Attending rounds (AR) are crucial for patient care coordination and trainee education in academic medical centers.
• However, patient involvement in these rounds is inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a standardized bedside attending rounds (AR) protocol on patient satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted involving 1200 patients at a 500-bed urban hospital.
• The intervention group received training on 5 standardized AR practices, while the control group followed usual practices.
• Patient satisfaction, perceived and actual duration, and team satisfaction were measured.

Main Results:

• Patients in the intervention arm reported significantly higher satisfaction with attending rounds (AR) (4.49 vs 4.25; P=0.01).
• Patients also felt more cared for by their medical team in the intervention group (4.54 vs 4.36; P=0.03).
• The standardized approach reduced AR duration by 8 minutes on average, though trainees reported lower satisfaction.

Conclusions:

• Implementing a standardized, patient-centered attending rounds (AR) model enhances patient satisfaction and perceived care.
• This model is time-efficient and can be adopted by medical teams.
• Further research may explore trainee and attending satisfaction in standardized models.