Parent presence does not increase the length of PICU teaching rounds

Objective: To deter-mine the impact of parent presence on teaching rounds in a tertiary children's hospital. Design: For 14 weeks in the PICU at the U of C Chidren's Hospital, parents were alternately present or excluded from teaching rounds. A researcher recorded rounds time at each bedside. Parents were invited to actively participate in rounds when present. After the PICU team left the bedside, a researcher asked the parent privately if she/he had any questions or comments. This time was added to the total rounds time for that patient. The attendings, housestaff, nurses,and parents completed surveys on the impact parents had on the didactic experience, the distribution of information, and parental satisfaction/understanding. Results: The time spent on rounds per patient did not increase with parent presence, in fact, it was shortened. (Figure) The information on the quality of didactic interactions suggested a decline with parental presence but did not achieve statistical significance. The parents believed their participation in rounds enhanced their understanding of their child's illness. Conclusions: Parent presence on morning rounds did not increase their length. Parents uniformly perceived that they were better informed by being present. The slightly shorter time at bedsides with parents may reflect less teaching but this survey data did not reach significance and needs to be repeated.