SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-From Preference to Practice: Factors Shaping Attending Physician Rounding Style on Inpatient Teaching Services

Pdf Summary

This multi-institutional, IRB-approved cross-sectional survey examined how attending physicians on inpatient internal medicine teaching services choose rounding styles, and whether their preferred style matches what they actually use. Eligible attendings from three residency programs were surveyed in 2024; 52 of 114 responded (46%).<br /><br />The study compared rounding style preferences and utilization across three common scenarios: overnight admissions, daytime admissions, and follow-up patients. Overall agreement between preferred and used rounding styles was only moderate (κ = 0.57–0.59). Preference and practice diverged most for follow-up patients, where the difference was statistically significant.<br /><br />The survey also identified factors that influence rounding style choice. Attending physicians reported that rounding style varied based on both patient-related and team-related conditions, including patient census, acuity, isolation precautions, engagement level, need for a translator, patient location, sensitive topics, learner preference, institutional norms, medical education commitments, team size, interprofessional team availability, and timing in the academic year. Across these significant factors, conference room and hallway rounding were used most often, while bedside rounding was less common.<br /><br />The main conclusion is that attending physician rounding style is not fixed or “one-size-fits-all,” but instead appears adaptive to the clinical and educational context. Because preferred and actual practices do not always align, especially for follow-up patients, targeted faculty development may help better match rounding approaches to educational goals, patient-centered care, and efficiency.

Asset Subtitle

William C. Lippert

Meta Tag

Author List Alan M. Hall, Anthony Mangino, Chi-Cheng Huang, Christina Rinaldi, Edward Ip, Gregory Russell, Jacqueline Lippert, Jessica McCutcheon, Joseph Rigdon, Kenneth Singhel, Kristen E. Fletcher, Suma Menon, William C. Lippert

Category Research

Concept Inpatient Rounding Style

Concept Attending Physician

Concept Preferred Style

Concept Actual Utilization

Concept Patient-Related Factor

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Presenting Author William C. Lippert

Track Education

Keywords

attending physicians

rounding style

internal medicine

inpatient teaching services

cross-sectional survey

rounding preferences

bedside rounding

conference room rounding

faculty development

medical education

Inpatient Rounding Style

Attending Physician

Preferred Style

Actual Utilization

Patient-Related Factor