Bedside Interprofessional Rounds

Interprofessional collaborative care (IPCC) involves members from different professions working together to enhance communication, coordination, and healthcare quality.[1, 2, 3] Because several current healthcare policy initiatives include financial incentives for increased quality of care, there has been resultant interest in the implementation of IPCC in healthcare systems.[4, 5] Unfortunately, many hospitals have found IPCC difficult to achieve. Hospital‐based medicine units are complex, time‐constrained environments requiring a high degree of collaboration and mutual decision‐making between nurses, physicians, therapists, pharmacists, care coordinators, and patients. In addition, despite recommendations for interprofessional collaborative care, the implementation and assessment of IPCC within this environment has not been well studied.[6, 7]

On academic internal medicine services, the majority of care decisions occur during rounds. Although rounds provide a common structure, the participants, length, location, and agenda of rounds tend to vary by institution and individual physician preference.[8, 9, 10, 11] Traditionally, ward rounds occur mostly in hallways and conference rooms rather than the patient's bedside.[12] Additionally, during rounds, nurse‐physician collaboration occurs infrequently, estimated at <10% of rounding time.[13] Recently, an increased focus on quality, safety, and collaboration has inspired the investigation and implementation of new methods to increase interprofessional collaboration during rounds, but many of these interventions occurred away from the patient's bedside.[14, 15] One trial of bedside interprofessional rounds (BIRs) by Curley et al. suggested improvements in patient‐level outcomes (cost and length of stay) versus traditional physician‐based rounds.[16] Although interprofessional nurse‐physician rounds at patients' bedsides may represent an ideal process, limited work has investigated this activity.[17]

A prerequisite for successful and sustained integration of BIRs is a shared conceptualization among physicians and nurses regarding the process. Such a shared conceptualization would include perceptions of benefits and barriers to implementation.[18] Currently, such perceptions have not been measured. In this study, we sought to evaluate perceptions of front‐line care providers on inpatient units, specifically nursing staff, attending physicians, and housestaff physicians, regarding the benefits and barriers to BIRs.

METHODS

RESULTS

Of the 171 surveys sent, 149 participants completed surveys (response rate 87%). Responses were received from 53/58 nursing staff (91% response), 21/28 attending physicians (75% response), and 75/85 housestaff physicians (88% response). Table 1 describes the participant response demographics.

DISCUSSION

In this study, we sought to compare perceptions of nurses and physicians on the benefits and barriers to BIRs. Nursing staff ranked each benefit higher than physicians, though rank orders of specific benefits were highly correlated. Highest‐ranked benefits related to coordination and communication more than quality or process benefits. Across groups, the highest‐ranked barriers to BIRs were related to time, whereas the lowest‐ranked factors were related to provider and patient discomfort. These results highlight important similarities and differences in perceptions between front‐line providers.

The highest‐ranked benefits were related to improved interprofessional communication and coordination. Combining interprofessional team members during care delivery allows for integrated understanding of daily care plans and clinical issues, and fosters collaboration and a team‐based atmosphere.[1, 20, 26] The lowest‐ranked benefits were related to more tangible measures, including length of stay, timely consultations, and judicious laboratory ordering. This finding contrasts with the limited literature demonstrating increased efficiency in general medicine units practicing IPCC.[16] These rankings may reflect a poor understanding or self‐assessment of outcome measures by healthcare providers, representing a potential focus for educational initiatives. Future investigations using objective assessment methods of outcomes and collaboration will provide a more accurate understanding of these findings.

The highest‐ranked barriers were related to time and systems issues. Several studies of physician‐based bedside rounds have identified systems‐ and time‐related issues as primary limiting barriers.[22, 24] In units without colocalization of patients and providers, finding receptive times for BIRs can be difficult. Although time‐related issues could be addressed by decreasing patient‐provider ratios, these changes require substantial investment in resources. A reasonable degree of improvement in efficiency and coordination is expected following acclimation to BIRs or by addressing modifiable systems factors to increase this activity. Less costly interventions, such as tailoring provider schedules, prescheduling patient rounding times, and geographic colocalization of patients and providers may be more feasible. However, the clinical microsystems within which medicine patients are cared for are often chaotic and disorganized at the infrastructural and cultural levels, which may be less influenced by surface‐level interventions. Such interventions may be ward specific and require customization to individual team needs.

The lowest‐ranked barriers to BIRs were related to provider‐ and patient‐related factors, including comfort level of patients and providers. Prior work on bedside rounds has identified physicians who are apprehensive about performing bedside rounds, but those who experience this activity are more likely to be comfortable with it.[12, 28] Our results from a culture where BIRs occur on nearly two‐thirds of patients suggest provider discomfort is not a predominant barrier.[22, 29] Additionally, educators have raised concerns about patient discomfort with bedside rounds, but nearly all studies evaluating patients' perspectives reveal patient preference for bedside case presentations over activities occurring in alternative locations.[30, 31, 32] Little work has investigated patient preference for BIRs as per our definition; our participants do not believe patients are discomforted by BIRs, building upon evidence in the literature for patient preferences regarding bedside activities.

Nursing staff perceptions of the benefits and culture related to BIRs were more positive than physicians. We hypothesize several reasons for this disparity. First, nursing staff may have more experience with observing and understanding the positive impact of BIRs and therefore are more likely to understand the positive ramifications. Alternatively, nursing staff may be satisfied with active integration into traditional physician‐centric decisions. Additionally, the professional culture and educational foundation of the nursing culture is based upon a patient‐centered approach and therefore may be more aligned with the goals of BIRs. Last, physicians may have competing priorities, favoring productivity and didactic learning rather than interprofessional collaboration. Further investigation is required to understand differences between nurses and physicians, in addition to other providers integral to BIRs (eg, care coordinators, pharmacists). Regardless, during the implementation of interprofessional collaborative care models, our findings suggest initial challenges, and the focus of educational initiatives may necessitate acclimating physician groups to benefits identified by front‐line nursing staff.

There are several limitations to our study. We investigated the perceptions of medicine nurses and physicians in 1 teaching hospital, limiting generalizability to other specialties, other vital professional groups, and nonteaching hospitals. Additionally, BIRs has been a focus of our hospital for several years. Therefore, perceived barriers may differ in BIRs‐nave hospitals. Second, although pilot‐tested for content, the construct validity of the instrument was not rigorously assessed, and the instrument was not designed to measure benefits and barriers not explicitly identified during pilot testing. Last, although surveys were anonymous, the possibility of social desirability bias exists, thereby limiting accuracy.

For over a century, physician‐led rounds have been the preferred modality for point‐of‐care decision making.[10, 15, 32, 33] BIRs address our growing understanding of patient‐centered care. Future efforts should address the quality of collaboration and current hospital and unit structures hindering patient‐centered IPCC and patient outcomes.

Interprofessional collaborative care (IPCC) involves members from different professions working together to enhance communication, coordination, and healthcare quality.[1, 2, 3] Because several current healthcare policy initiatives include financial incentives for increased quality of care, there has been resultant interest in the implementation of IPCC in healthcare systems.[4, 5] Unfortunately, many hospitals have found IPCC difficult to achieve. Hospital‐based medicine units are complex, time‐constrained environments requiring a high degree of collaboration and mutual decision‐making between nurses, physicians, therapists, pharmacists, care coordinators, and patients. In addition, despite recommendations for interprofessional collaborative care, the implementation and assessment of IPCC within this environment has not been well studied.[6, 7]

On academic internal medicine services, the majority of care decisions occur during rounds. Although rounds provide a common structure, the participants, length, location, and agenda of rounds tend to vary by institution and individual physician preference.[8, 9, 10, 11] Traditionally, ward rounds occur mostly in hallways and conference rooms rather than the patient's bedside.[12] Additionally, during rounds, nurse‐physician collaboration occurs infrequently, estimated at <10% of rounding time.[13] Recently, an increased focus on quality, safety, and collaboration has inspired the investigation and implementation of new methods to increase interprofessional collaboration during rounds, but many of these interventions occurred away from the patient's bedside.[14, 15] One trial of bedside interprofessional rounds (BIRs) by Curley et al. suggested improvements in patient‐level outcomes (cost and length of stay) versus traditional physician‐based rounds.[16] Although interprofessional nurse‐physician rounds at patients' bedsides may represent an ideal process, limited work has investigated this activity.[17]

A prerequisite for successful and sustained integration of BIRs is a shared conceptualization among physicians and nurses regarding the process. Such a shared conceptualization would include perceptions of benefits and barriers to implementation.[18] Currently, such perceptions have not been measured. In this study, we sought to evaluate perceptions of front‐line care providers on inpatient units, specifically nursing staff, attending physicians, and housestaff physicians, regarding the benefits and barriers to BIRs.

METHODS

RESULTS

Of the 171 surveys sent, 149 participants completed surveys (response rate 87%). Responses were received from 53/58 nursing staff (91% response), 21/28 attending physicians (75% response), and 75/85 housestaff physicians (88% response). Table 1 describes the participant response demographics.

DISCUSSION

In this study, we sought to compare perceptions of nurses and physicians on the benefits and barriers to BIRs. Nursing staff ranked each benefit higher than physicians, though rank orders of specific benefits were highly correlated. Highest‐ranked benefits related to coordination and communication more than quality or process benefits. Across groups, the highest‐ranked barriers to BIRs were related to time, whereas the lowest‐ranked factors were related to provider and patient discomfort. These results highlight important similarities and differences in perceptions between front‐line providers.

The highest‐ranked benefits were related to improved interprofessional communication and coordination. Combining interprofessional team members during care delivery allows for integrated understanding of daily care plans and clinical issues, and fosters collaboration and a team‐based atmosphere.[1, 20, 26] The lowest‐ranked benefits were related to more tangible measures, including length of stay, timely consultations, and judicious laboratory ordering. This finding contrasts with the limited literature demonstrating increased efficiency in general medicine units practicing IPCC.[16] These rankings may reflect a poor understanding or self‐assessment of outcome measures by healthcare providers, representing a potential focus for educational initiatives. Future investigations using objective assessment methods of outcomes and collaboration will provide a more accurate understanding of these findings.

The highest‐ranked barriers were related to time and systems issues. Several studies of physician‐based bedside rounds have identified systems‐ and time‐related issues as primary limiting barriers.[22, 24] In units without colocalization of patients and providers, finding receptive times for BIRs can be difficult. Although time‐related issues could be addressed by decreasing patient‐provider ratios, these changes require substantial investment in resources. A reasonable degree of improvement in efficiency and coordination is expected following acclimation to BIRs or by addressing modifiable systems factors to increase this activity. Less costly interventions, such as tailoring provider schedules, prescheduling patient rounding times, and geographic colocalization of patients and providers may be more feasible. However, the clinical microsystems within which medicine patients are cared for are often chaotic and disorganized at the infrastructural and cultural levels, which may be less influenced by surface‐level interventions. Such interventions may be ward specific and require customization to individual team needs.

The lowest‐ranked barriers to BIRs were related to provider‐ and patient‐related factors, including comfort level of patients and providers. Prior work on bedside rounds has identified physicians who are apprehensive about performing bedside rounds, but those who experience this activity are more likely to be comfortable with it.[12, 28] Our results from a culture where BIRs occur on nearly two‐thirds of patients suggest provider discomfort is not a predominant barrier.[22, 29] Additionally, educators have raised concerns about patient discomfort with bedside rounds, but nearly all studies evaluating patients' perspectives reveal patient preference for bedside case presentations over activities occurring in alternative locations.[30, 31, 32] Little work has investigated patient preference for BIRs as per our definition; our participants do not believe patients are discomforted by BIRs, building upon evidence in the literature for patient preferences regarding bedside activities.

Nursing staff perceptions of the benefits and culture related to BIRs were more positive than physicians. We hypothesize several reasons for this disparity. First, nursing staff may have more experience with observing and understanding the positive impact of BIRs and therefore are more likely to understand the positive ramifications. Alternatively, nursing staff may be satisfied with active integration into traditional physician‐centric decisions. Additionally, the professional culture and educational foundation of the nursing culture is based upon a patient‐centered approach and therefore may be more aligned with the goals of BIRs. Last, physicians may have competing priorities, favoring productivity and didactic learning rather than interprofessional collaboration. Further investigation is required to understand differences between nurses and physicians, in addition to other providers integral to BIRs (eg, care coordinators, pharmacists). Regardless, during the implementation of interprofessional collaborative care models, our findings suggest initial challenges, and the focus of educational initiatives may necessitate acclimating physician groups to benefits identified by front‐line nursing staff.

There are several limitations to our study. We investigated the perceptions of medicine nurses and physicians in 1 teaching hospital, limiting generalizability to other specialties, other vital professional groups, and nonteaching hospitals. Additionally, BIRs has been a focus of our hospital for several years. Therefore, perceived barriers may differ in BIRs‐nave hospitals. Second, although pilot‐tested for content, the construct validity of the instrument was not rigorously assessed, and the instrument was not designed to measure benefits and barriers not explicitly identified during pilot testing. Last, although surveys were anonymous, the possibility of social desirability bias exists, thereby limiting accuracy.

For over a century, physician‐led rounds have been the preferred modality for point‐of‐care decision making.[10, 15, 32, 33] BIRs address our growing understanding of patient‐centered care. Future efforts should address the quality of collaboration and current hospital and unit structures hindering patient‐centered IPCC and patient outcomes.

Interprofessional collaborative care (IPCC) involves members from different professions working together to enhance communication, coordination, and healthcare quality.[1, 2, 3] Because several current healthcare policy initiatives include financial incentives for increased quality of care, there has been resultant interest in the implementation of IPCC in healthcare systems.[4, 5] Unfortunately, many hospitals have found IPCC difficult to achieve. Hospital‐based medicine units are complex, time‐constrained environments requiring a high degree of collaboration and mutual decision‐making between nurses, physicians, therapists, pharmacists, care coordinators, and patients. In addition, despite recommendations for interprofessional collaborative care, the implementation and assessment of IPCC within this environment has not been well studied.[6, 7]

On academic internal medicine services, the majority of care decisions occur during rounds. Although rounds provide a common structure, the participants, length, location, and agenda of rounds tend to vary by institution and individual physician preference.[8, 9, 10, 11] Traditionally, ward rounds occur mostly in hallways and conference rooms rather than the patient's bedside.[12] Additionally, during rounds, nurse‐physician collaboration occurs infrequently, estimated at <10% of rounding time.[13] Recently, an increased focus on quality, safety, and collaboration has inspired the investigation and implementation of new methods to increase interprofessional collaboration during rounds, but many of these interventions occurred away from the patient's bedside.[14, 15] One trial of bedside interprofessional rounds (BIRs) by Curley et al. suggested improvements in patient‐level outcomes (cost and length of stay) versus traditional physician‐based rounds.[16] Although interprofessional nurse‐physician rounds at patients' bedsides may represent an ideal process, limited work has investigated this activity.[17]

A prerequisite for successful and sustained integration of BIRs is a shared conceptualization among physicians and nurses regarding the process. Such a shared conceptualization would include perceptions of benefits and barriers to implementation.[18] Currently, such perceptions have not been measured. In this study, we sought to evaluate perceptions of front‐line care providers on inpatient units, specifically nursing staff, attending physicians, and housestaff physicians, regarding the benefits and barriers to BIRs.

METHODS

RESULTS

Of the 171 surveys sent, 149 participants completed surveys (response rate 87%). Responses were received from 53/58 nursing staff (91% response), 21/28 attending physicians (75% response), and 75/85 housestaff physicians (88% response). Table 1 describes the participant response demographics.

DISCUSSION

In this study, we sought to compare perceptions of nurses and physicians on the benefits and barriers to BIRs. Nursing staff ranked each benefit higher than physicians, though rank orders of specific benefits were highly correlated. Highest‐ranked benefits related to coordination and communication more than quality or process benefits. Across groups, the highest‐ranked barriers to BIRs were related to time, whereas the lowest‐ranked factors were related to provider and patient discomfort. These results highlight important similarities and differences in perceptions between front‐line providers.

The highest‐ranked benefits were related to improved interprofessional communication and coordination. Combining interprofessional team members during care delivery allows for integrated understanding of daily care plans and clinical issues, and fosters collaboration and a team‐based atmosphere.[1, 20, 26] The lowest‐ranked benefits were related to more tangible measures, including length of stay, timely consultations, and judicious laboratory ordering. This finding contrasts with the limited literature demonstrating increased efficiency in general medicine units practicing IPCC.[16] These rankings may reflect a poor understanding or self‐assessment of outcome measures by healthcare providers, representing a potential focus for educational initiatives. Future investigations using objective assessment methods of outcomes and collaboration will provide a more accurate understanding of these findings.

The highest‐ranked barriers were related to time and systems issues. Several studies of physician‐based bedside rounds have identified systems‐ and time‐related issues as primary limiting barriers.[22, 24] In units without colocalization of patients and providers, finding receptive times for BIRs can be difficult. Although time‐related issues could be addressed by decreasing patient‐provider ratios, these changes require substantial investment in resources. A reasonable degree of improvement in efficiency and coordination is expected following acclimation to BIRs or by addressing modifiable systems factors to increase this activity. Less costly interventions, such as tailoring provider schedules, prescheduling patient rounding times, and geographic colocalization of patients and providers may be more feasible. However, the clinical microsystems within which medicine patients are cared for are often chaotic and disorganized at the infrastructural and cultural levels, which may be less influenced by surface‐level interventions. Such interventions may be ward specific and require customization to individual team needs.

The lowest‐ranked barriers to BIRs were related to provider‐ and patient‐related factors, including comfort level of patients and providers. Prior work on bedside rounds has identified physicians who are apprehensive about performing bedside rounds, but those who experience this activity are more likely to be comfortable with it.[12, 28] Our results from a culture where BIRs occur on nearly two‐thirds of patients suggest provider discomfort is not a predominant barrier.[22, 29] Additionally, educators have raised concerns about patient discomfort with bedside rounds, but nearly all studies evaluating patients' perspectives reveal patient preference for bedside case presentations over activities occurring in alternative locations.[30, 31, 32] Little work has investigated patient preference for BIRs as per our definition; our participants do not believe patients are discomforted by BIRs, building upon evidence in the literature for patient preferences regarding bedside activities.

Nursing staff perceptions of the benefits and culture related to BIRs were more positive than physicians. We hypothesize several reasons for this disparity. First, nursing staff may have more experience with observing and understanding the positive impact of BIRs and therefore are more likely to understand the positive ramifications. Alternatively, nursing staff may be satisfied with active integration into traditional physician‐centric decisions. Additionally, the professional culture and educational foundation of the nursing culture is based upon a patient‐centered approach and therefore may be more aligned with the goals of BIRs. Last, physicians may have competing priorities, favoring productivity and didactic learning rather than interprofessional collaboration. Further investigation is required to understand differences between nurses and physicians, in addition to other providers integral to BIRs (eg, care coordinators, pharmacists). Regardless, during the implementation of interprofessional collaborative care models, our findings suggest initial challenges, and the focus of educational initiatives may necessitate acclimating physician groups to benefits identified by front‐line nursing staff.

There are several limitations to our study. We investigated the perceptions of medicine nurses and physicians in 1 teaching hospital, limiting generalizability to other specialties, other vital professional groups, and nonteaching hospitals. Additionally, BIRs has been a focus of our hospital for several years. Therefore, perceived barriers may differ in BIRs‐nave hospitals. Second, although pilot‐tested for content, the construct validity of the instrument was not rigorously assessed, and the instrument was not designed to measure benefits and barriers not explicitly identified during pilot testing. Last, although surveys were anonymous, the possibility of social desirability bias exists, thereby limiting accuracy.

For over a century, physician‐led rounds have been the preferred modality for point‐of‐care decision making.[10, 15, 32, 33] BIRs address our growing understanding of patient‐centered care. Future efforts should address the quality of collaboration and current hospital and unit structures hindering patient‐centered IPCC and patient outcomes.