Some physicians would probably rather have dental surgery than have to drag along family members on rounds. As it turns out, however, bringing families of pediatric patients on rounds can benefit both the patient and the family, researchers say.
To examine this issue, researchers with the Indiana University School of Medicine involved families of pediatric cancer and hematology patients in rounds conducted at Indianapolis-based Riley Hospital for Children. Riley's rounds can include not only parents, but also nurses, social workers, nutritionists, clinical pharmacists and other specialists in addition to medical students, residents, fellows and attending physicians.
Researchers behind the study, which was published in the journal Academic Medicine, found that while family members prolonged team rounds a bit, the medical team's overall workload either stayed the same or grew shorter, as those families needed far less attention at the bedside. They also noted, however, that the bigger the medical group grew, the less likely parents were to participate in team rounds.
Get more info on the study:
- read this UPI piece
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