Impact of Family Presence During Hospital Rounds

Healthcare team members use multidisciplinary rounds to communicate, clarify, and plan details of the patient’s care. Family-centered rounds, or FCRs, are a type of rounding designed to actively involve family members in these discussions (Woldering et al. 2023). Woldering et al. (2023) propose that family members can participate in rounds by asking questions, providing insight on the patient’s experiences, and engaging in collaborative goal setting. This study shows that FCRs can reduce anxiety, increase family participation, and lower the length of hospitalization, showing benefits to both the patient and their families. Currently, healthcare systems lack an evidence-based, standardized system for how FCRs should be implemented (Davidson et al. 2017). This review will examine different models of family-centered rounding from the perspective of patients, families, and the care team and develop recommendations for how to implement FCRs effectively.