Rounding Styles on Inpatient Infectious Disease Consult Services: Impact on Education and Patient-Care Delivery

Inpatient infectious disease (ID) consult services have recently been experiencing increased patient volumes due to a variety of factors, including higher patient complexity, increased patient turnover, growing rates of antimicrobial resistant infections, population aging, and ID outbreaks. As a result, increased time and resources have been required to continue to deliver high-quality medical care to patients. At academic teaching hospitals, providing patient care in the context of increased volumes must be balanced with the educational mission for trainees. Rounding is a central component of ID clinical work which brings together patient care and education. In this narrative review, we aim to delineate different rounding styles and summarize the literature on inpatient rounding. We also discuss unique aspects of inpatient ID rounding and consider advantages and disadvantages of different rounding styles with attention to their impact on patient care, education, and workflow.