Recently, there has been an emphasis on conducting family-centered rounds on inpatients, though this is often easier said than done by those who worry that the rounds may take too much time, slow down discharges, and cost more when families ask for tests or studies that may not be indicated. Fortunately, the study by Kuo et al. (
doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2623) that we are releasing this week does some myth-busting and highlights some wonderful benefits of family-centered rounds for both families and clinicians. Using a prospective methodology of patient interviews before and after hospitalization, as well as using data from a review of the study patients’ medical records, the authors demonstrate that when rounds are done with inclusion of the patient and family, parent satisfaction is greatly increased without increasing costs or discharge time when compared to patients who are seen using conventional rounding techniques. You will want to make rounds on this article and then put into practice what you learn from this useful information.
