Written by Kimiko Dunbar
Spoon Feed
This novel rounding software provides real-time updates to nurses and families about when to expect rounds, with an option to join virtually. It significantly improved nurse and family presence during rounds.
Your child is next in the queue
Family-centered rounds have been shown to decrease medical errors and to improve patient/family and provider satisfaction. Implementation has been challenged by barriers to nurse and family participation, such as not knowing what time rounds will occur. This pilot pre-post observational study assessed whether a virtual queue software (Q-rounds) could improve nurse and family presence during neonatal ICU rounds. Across 344 patient encounters, nurse full-round participation rose from 18.8% to 58.2% (P<0.001), and family presence increased from 20.0% to 43.0% (P<0.001), with 55.8% joining remotely. Rounding duration remained unchanged (P=0.91). The rounding structure in the study institution involved “table rounds” in the conference room for all patients given space and privacy concerns with shared rooms; parents and RNs were invited to join in the conference room to participate in the discussion. Limitations include single-center design, lack of control group, and applicability to non-conference-room rounding settings.
How does this change my practice?
For the parents waiting endlessly for the rounding team to arrive, potentially feeling trapped in their room so as to not miss the team, this could be game-changing. I’ve had plenty of conversations with parents who were too scared to even grab a morning coffee for fear of missing the team. This could be particularly valuable in a NICU environment, where the long length of stay often prevents parents from being able to stay at bedside 24/7. It’s curious that this study was implemented at an institution without typical bedside rounds, but I imagine this would be equally if not more valuable in the traditional family-centered rounds experience.
Source
Impact of a Novel Virtual Rounding Queue Software on Nurse and Family Presence for Rounds in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Study. Acad Pediatr. 2025 Mar;25(2):102584. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2024.09.008. Epub 2024 Sep 27. PMID: 39343195
