Comparing early versus later physician rounds for hospitalized pregnant patients.

Effect of Timing of Physician Rounds on Hospital Experience for High-Risk Antepartum Patients: A Randomized Controlled TrialTiming of Physician Rounds for Antepartum Patients

This study tests whether combining the team's early morning discussion and bedside encounter into a single later-morning bedside visit improves communication for pregnant patients admitted to the antepartum service.

Quick facts

• Phase: NA
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 200 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: Female
• Sponsor: Duke University (other)
• Locations: 2 sites (Durham, North Carolina and 1 other locations)
• Trial ID: NCT07215507 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This randomized controlled trial at Duke University Hospital will assign eligible antepartum patients to either standard rounding (an early morning bedside encounter plus a later team discussion) or to discovery rounding (a consolidated later-morning bedside encounter after the team reviews clinical data). Participants are pregnant women beyond 20 weeks gestation admitted to the antepartum service, with exclusions for acute maternal or fetal complications, ICU care, recent antepartum admission, or other conditions that preclude delayed rounding. The intervention delivers the team's clinical review and bedside discussion in a single patient-facing visit to reduce repetition and potential disruption. The primary outcome is patient satisfaction with communication, measured using patient surveys after rounds.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are pregnant women over 20 weeks gestation admitted to Duke's antepartum service who do not have acute maternal or fetal complications requiring immediate or intensive care.

Not a fit: Patients with active complications — for example ICU admission, active magnesium sulfate therapy, recent severe hypertension requiring treatment, category II fetal heart tracings, or other unstable conditions — are excluded and unlikely to benefit from delayed or consolidated rounding.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, consolidating rounds into one later-morning bedside encounter could improve patient satisfaction with communication and reduce redundant or disruptive visits.

How similar studies have performed: Previous research on the timing and format of bedside rounds is limited and mixed, so using a consolidated 'discovery rounding' model specifically in antepartum care is relatively novel.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* Pregnant women greater than 20 weeks gestation admitted to the antepartum list at Duke University Hospital

Exclusion Criteria:

* Stillbirth
* ICU admission
* Admission to off-service unit
* Active magnesium sulfate administration
* Active severe hypertension or initiation of anti-hypertensive pathway within past 8 hours
* Category II fetal heart rate tracing
* Other pregnancy/delivery complication precluding delayed rounding
* Unstable/unsuitable condition per overnight team or attending physician
* Previously enrolled/on active board \>1 day at morning rounds
* Postpartum readmission
* Antepartum admission within the last 4 weeks

Where this trial is running

Durham, North Carolina and 1 other locations

• Duke University Hospital — Durham, North Carolina, United States (NOT_YET_RECRUITING)
• Duke University Hospital — Durham, North Carolina, United States (RECRUITING)

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Rachel Wood, MD — Duke University Hospital
• Study coordinator: Hannah Kelly, MD

Conditions: Physician Rounds, Communication