Recruiting

Discovery Rounding

Sponsor:

Duke University

Code:

NCT07215507

Conditions

Physician Rounds

Communication

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: Female

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Discovery Rounding

Standard Rounding

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study will include patients admitted to the Antepartum service at Duke University Hospital, many of whom are managing high-risk pregnancies that require extended hospital stays and frequent physician interactions. Currently, two rounding methods are used interchangeably for patients who do not have pregnancy or delivery complications that would preclude participation in delayed daytime rounding. This randomized controlled trial will compare two rounding models: the standard model, in which patients receive two rounds (an early morning bedside encounter and a later team discussion), and the intervention model, which consolidates both rounds into a single, later-morning bedside encounter following the team's review of clinical data. The primary objective is to assess whether consolidating physician rounds into a single, later-morning encounter-referred to as discovery rounding-improves patient satisfaction with communication.

Conditions

Physician Rounds

Communication

Study ID

NCT07215507

Start date

Nov 4, 2025

Status verified date

Nov, 2025

Completion date

Feb 20, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 30, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: Female

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

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

Study Design

Enrollment

200 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Other

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

active comparator: Standard Rounding

The current standard of rounding on the Antepartum service involves a preliminarily bedside encounter with patients between 5-7am by a resident +/- medical student before an attending physician-led Antepartum team discussion from 8-9am. The patient is then rounded on for a second time in the late morning by the entire Antepartum team where patient concerns are heard and care plans for the day are relayed/reiterated/cemented.

experimental: Discovery Rounding

For certain patients with appropriate clinical risk factors, our service has adopted a policy of "discovery rounding". This method involves solely electronic health record chart review prior to the 8am attending-led Antepartum team discussion where the patient's overnight events are "discovered", clinical courses discussed, and daytime plans proposed. "Discovery rounding" consolidates bedside physician-patient encounters to one mid-morning interaction, forgoing early morning disturbances.

Interventions

Discovery Rounding

For certain patients with appropriate clinical risk factors, our service has adopted a policy of "discovery rounding". This method involves solely electronic health record chart review prior to the 8am attending-led Antepartum team discussion where the patient's overnight events are "discovered", clinical courses discussed, and daytime plans proposed. "Discovery rounding" consolidates bedside physician-patient encounters to one mid-morning interaction, forgoing early morning disturbances.

Standard Rounding

The current standard of rounding on the Antepartum service involves a preliminarily bedside encounter with patients between 5-7am by a resident +/- medical student before an attending physician-led Antepartum team discussion from 8-9am. The patient is then rounded on for a second time in the late morning by the entire Antepartum team where patient concerns are heard and care plans for the day are relayed/reiterated/cemented.

Primary outcome measure

  • Proportion of items rated as "Excellent" on the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) [ Time Frame: One of the following timepoints (whichever comes first for that patient); Hospital day 6 or the immediate postpartum period: postpartum day 0 or 1, depending on the time of delivery ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Hannah Kelly, MD

832-967-7998hannah.kelly@duke.edu

Rachel Wood, MD

rachel.wood@duke.edu

Locations

Duke University Hospital

Recruiting

Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27710

Contacts

Caroline Oviedo

786-301-2944‬caroline.oviedo@duke.edu

Hannah Kelly, MD

832-967-7998hannah.kelly@duke.edu

Principal Investigator:

Rachel Wood, MD

More Information

Sponsor

Duke University

Last update posted

Jan 29, 2026

Last verified

Nov, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Duke University on 2026-01-29.