Multidisciplinary rounds (MDR) enable all members of the team caring for critically ill patients to come together and offer expertise in patient care. Too frequently physicians alone care for patients without the input of other providers such as nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy, nutrition, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and social work. Even the most efficient physicians stand to benefit from the counsel of these providers to provide the best care for critically ill individuals.
This intervention has proven successful in medical and surgical settings. Efficient patient care depends on close communication between the physicians, nursing, physical therapy, and discharge planners. Many times, the number of services involved and the workload of each service slows down communication in patient care. In trauma care, multidisciplinary rounds have been demonstrated to have a dramatic effect on patient flow. While maintaining their daily census, one team reported a 36 percent increase in patient volume and a 15 percent decrease in length of stay. "Bypass" status-inability to accept admissions was virtually eliminated. What is more, this effect has been sustained over time. [1]
Vazirani et al. demonstrated that using multidisciplinary rounds in an acute care medical unit improved satisfaction with care for physicians, nurses, and patients. In addition, overall quality of care is improved with the addition of a nurse practitioner to each inpatient medical team, the appointment of a hospitalist medical director, and the institution of daily multidisciplinary rounds. The multidisciplinary intervention resulted in better communication and collaboration among the participants. [2]
References:
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Dutton RP, Cooper C, Jones A, et al. Daily multidisciplinary rounds shorten length of stay for trauma patients. J Trauma. 2003 Nov;55(5):913-919.
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Vazirani S, Hays RD, Shapiro MF, et al. Effect of a multidisciplinary intervention on communication and collaboration among physicians and nurses. Am J Crit Care. 2005 Jan;14(1):71-77.
