Improving the efficiency of board round on an acute medical ward in Cardiff

Background

The project was started as board round discussions were regularly taking over one hour, reducing the time available for ward work and causing team dissatisfaction. The team involved included the doctors on the ward, the senior nursing staff and members of the therapy teams. 

Methods

In October 2025, a questionnaire was completed by team members asking how they felt board round could be improved. Improvements were then gradually implemented with verbal feedback throughout. Formal feedback was requested in January 2026, with a further round of interventions and feedback collected again in May 2026. 

Interventions

Interventions included starting daily board round discussions instead of 3 times a week to establish continuity of discussions throughout the week. The team were also asked to simplify discussions to topics that required the presence of the whole MDT, and to reduce unnecessary summaries for known patients. A single person was asked to lead each meeting for time management. 

In the second cycle of improvements, a strict start time was implemented, and the meeting was moved to an alternative room with the door closed to limit interruptions. Notes were made during board round that could be later inserted into patients’ medical notes.  

Results 

On first response, all team members strongly agreed that board round could be more time efficient. On final response, board round efficiency was rated at 7.5/10 by the team (10 being excellent). Having daily board rounds and stricter conditions for board round to limit disruptions positively impacted efficiency. Team outlook on board round improved, and time spent in discussions reduced significantly. 

Conclusions

Improving board round efficiency improves team satisfaction, identifies problems early and leaves more time for patient care. Different interventions were needed as team members rotated, meaning ongoing evaluation is needed to continue to improve efficiency.