Structuring ward rounds to enhance education

Abstract

Background: Ward rounds are a fundamental part of hospital culture and teaching on rounds has a long tradition. Yet evidence points towards increasing difficulties in delivering ward round education in complex heath care settings. Drawing on the literature and gaps identified in our own hospital setting we hypothesised that a tool for structuring ward rounds could improve the educational experience on rounds without adding a time burden to already busy consultants. Methods: We used a developmental evaluation approach to develop a framework and evaluate a tool for improving ward round education. The ward round framework STIC (Set, Target, Inspect and Close) and ward round tool was developed t..