The ward round

Award round is a key feature in the care of patients in hospital, an important organisational process, providing a link between a patient's admission and discharge or, if needed, transfer to another care provider. The ward round provides an opportunity for patient review and is the main focus for hospital multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to undertake assessments and care planning with patients (Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Nursing, (RCP and RCN), 2021).

Ward rounds are complex clinical activities, critical to providing high-quality, safe care in a timely and relevant manner. They enable the MDT to review a patient's progress, clarify diagnoses, determine use of resources (ie medications and investigations), review problems and develop a coordinated plan of care, while enabling patients and carers to take an active part in shared decisions. Ward rounds also provide openings for effective communication, information sharing, undertaking clinical safety checks. These opportunities should not be underestimated.