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The ward round

Ian Peate - Professor of Nursing and Editor in Chief of British Journal of Nursing (BJN) First published: Last updated:

A ward 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 offer a valuable forum for communicating and disseminating important information that impacts patient health and wellbeing, so they need to be conducted in a way that is meaningful and beneficial for all stakeholders.

A ward round has to be conducted in a democratic fashion: the domination of one group (professional or otherwise) over another must be

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Ian Peate