Alternative perceptions of the educational value of attending rounds.

摘要

Editor-Balmer et al. examine what they refer to as the 'sacred cow' of attending rounds. Using a careful mix of observation of paediatric rounds over several months and a set of one-to-one interviews with participants on those rounds, they present an account of a practice rich in both tradition and description (the 'signature pedagogy'). They conclude that bedside rounding is a ritual in search of modification to contextual demands.We would like to offer an alternative perception of the educational value of bedside rounds to resident training. The interviews conducted by Balmer et al. with housestaff and attending doctors indicate that faculty staff and residents work from an educational model that equates teaching with lecturing, education with the conference room and pits 'our time' - as resident doctors carrying out patient care tasks - with 'their time' - as attending doctors fulfilling teaching responsibilities.