Keeping Time: Implementing Appointment-based Family-centered Rounds.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Engagement
• Clinical Communication

Background:

• Family-centered rounds (FCRs) enhance patient satisfaction and staff collaboration but require consistent key team member presence.
• Existing bedside rounds aimed to improve patient engagement and satisfaction through a redesigned FCR process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To improve patient engagement and satisfaction by designing and implementing a new family-centered rounds (FCR) process.
• To increase the attendance and engagement of key multidisciplinary care team members during patient rounds.

Main Methods:

• A needs assessment informed the design of appointment-based family-centered rounds (aFCRs).
• The aFCR process was implemented and iteratively refined, tracking attendance, duration, and patient satisfaction.
• A Rounding Coordinator role was introduced to manage scheduling and communication.

Main Results:

• Post-implementation, 65% of patients reported positive experiences with rounds and communication.
• Rounds duration per patient remained consistent (9 vs. 9.4 minutes).
• Attendance rates were 72% for nurses, 60% for subspecialists, and 90% for interpreters.

Conclusions:

• The introduction of aFCRs, supported by a Rounding Coordinator, successfully enhanced rounding processes.
• This approach effectively increased multidisciplinary team attendance and improved patient satisfaction with physician communication in an inpatient setting.