Nursing home rounds as a format for teaching residents and medical students

The nursing home has become a focus for education as well as patient care. A format was devised for nursing home rounds that provides for discussion among staff members and specialists and is aimed at teaching and the resolution of specific patient-care and administrative issues. This format is outlined, and records from these twice-weekly rounds are reviewed. The nursing home rounds were consistently attended by members of the nursing and medical staffs, trainees, and nursing and medical directors. As is apparent from the records of these rounds, many complex medical problems were handled without transferring the patients to an acute-care facility. The discussion among participants of specific clinical problems at nursing home rounds has proven invaluable as a tool for education and delivery of patient care.