Physician RoundsNCT07215507
Timing of Physician Rounds for Antepartum Patients
A study testing Discovery Rounding and Standard Rounding in people with Physician Rounds and Communication, run by Duke University at 2 sites in United States.
Trial 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. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Physician Rounds, Communication
- What is being tested?
- Discovery Rounding and Standard Rounding
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 4 Nov 2025to 20 Feb 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Pregnant women greater than 20 weeks gestation admitted to the antepartum list at Duke University Hospital
Who cannot join
- 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
Show all 11Show fewer
- 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
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Rachel Wood, MD contact
United States2 sites, 2 recruiting
- Not yet recruiting
Duke University Hospital
Durham, North Carolina, 27710
Caroline Oviedo, 786-301-2944, caroline.oviedo@duke.edu
Rachel Wood, MD
- Recruiting
Duke University Hospital
Durham, North Carolina, 27710
Caroline Oviedo, 786-301-2944, caroline.oviedo@duke.edu
Hannah Kelly, MD, 832-967-7998, hannah.kelly@duke.edu
About this study
Official title: Effect of Timing of Physician Rounds on Hospital Experience for High-Risk Antepartum Patients: A Randomized Controlled TrialTiming of Physician Rounds for Antepartum Patients
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
- Being tested
- Discovery Rounding, Standard Rounding
- Medical subject headings
- Communication
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Discovery RoundingBehavioural
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 RoundingBehavioural
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.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Rounding | Active comparator | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Standard Rounding |
| Discovery Rounding | Experimental | 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. Receives: Behavioral: Discovery Rounding |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Proportion of items rated as "Excellent" on the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT)
The CAT measures patients' perceptions of physician communication across 15 specific behaviors, such as listening carefully, showing respect, explaining information clearly, and spending sufficient time with the patient. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "Poor" to "Excellent." By focusing on the frequency of "Excellent" ratings, the CAT provides a robust, patient-centered measure of the effectiveness and impact of physician communication during hospitalization.
Measured: 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
Secondary outcomes (1)
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
A 10-item self-report questionnaire, validated for both postpartum and antepartum use, in which each item is scored 0-3 (total 0-30), with higher scores indicating greater depressive symptoms and a common cut-off of ≥13 suggesting possible clinical depression.
Measured: At the 6 week postpartum visit
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted10 Oct 2025
- Study start4 Nov 2025
- Primary completion30 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion20 Feb 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Physician RoundsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Duke UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Duke University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Hannah Kelly, MD, Study director, Duke University HospitalRachel Wood, MD, Principal investigator, Duke University Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07215507
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pro00118226
- Status last verified
- Nov 2025
- First submitted
- 8 Oct 2025
- Last updated
- 29 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 29 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effect of Timing of Physician Rounds on Hospital Experience for High-Risk Antepartum Patients: A Randomized Controlled TrialTiming of Physician Rounds for Antepartum Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07215507
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pro00118226
- Conditions
- Physician Rounds, Communication
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Duke UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 4 Nov 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 20 Feb 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 10 Oct 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Triple blind (participant, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Rounding | Active comparator | Behavioral: Standard RoundingThe 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. |
| Discovery Rounding | Experimental | Behavioral: Discovery RoundingFor 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. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Pregnant women greater than 20 weeks gestation admitted to the antepartum list at Duke University Hospital
Key exclusion criteria (11 listed)
- 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
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery RoundingFor 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. | Behavioural | Discovery Rounding |
| Standard RoundingThe 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. | Behavioural | Standard Rounding |
Primary outcome
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
The CAT measures patients' perceptions of physician communication across 15 specific behaviors, such as listening carefully, showing respect, explaining information clearly, and spending sufficient time with the patient. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "Poor" to "Excellent." By focusing on the frequency of "Excellent" ratings, the CAT provides a robust, patient-centered measure of the effectiveness and impact of physician communication during hospitalization.
1 secondary outcome
Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
Time frame: At the 6 week postpartum visit
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 29 Jan 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
Related trials for Physician Rounds
Recruiting
The Family-ICU Trial
Family Engagement, Patient and Family Engagement
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Rachel Wood, MD contact
Hannah Kelly, MD study director
Duke University Hospital
Rachel Wood, MD principal investigator
Duke University Hospital
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Discovery Rounding and Standard Rounding in people with Physician Rounds and Communication, run by Duke University at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 11 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 29 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Hannah Kelly, MD (832-967-7998, hannah.kelly@duke.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the 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). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 29 Jan 2026.