Time for change: teaching and learning on busy post-take ward rounds

摘要

In the UK, patients admitted to hospital as acute medical emergencies are reviewed by a consultant physician within 12-24 hours of admission. This occurs on a post-take ward round where a problem list is identified, a provisional diagnosis made and a management plan outlined. They have usually been initially assessed by a trainee who then presents the patients to the consultant and other members of the team on the ward round. However, the reality of many post-take rounds is trainees on shifts, who are about to go off duty, with large numbers of patients to be seen many of whom may have been assessed by trainees absent from the round. Nonetheless, the post-take ward round still represents an ideal opportunity to judge how well the trainees are assessing patients, to give feedback to them on their initial management plans and to offer teaching around these acutely ill patients in real-life clinical settings.