[The ward round of the future – a person-centred, team-based meeting with the patient]

The aim of this article is to elucidate the traditional ward round from an historical, ethical and legal perspective. On the traditional ward round in hospitals, a senior clinician leads a group of other clinicians and health professionals on a walking tour through the ward to visit the patients for whom they are responsible at bedside. It is a long-lived tradition or routine, which has been substantially resistant to change. We recommend that work designed to improve the ward round should begin from values or ethical principles, such as respecting the patient's integrity and right to participate in decision-making. Moreover, the focal point should be creating opportunities for »the good meeting« and patient narratives. A team-based, person-centred ward round has been implemented in some hospitals in Sweden. The patient meets the ward team in a separate room to discuss the plan of care together. We argue that it is no longer possible to defend the traditional way of walking rounds, either ethically or legally.