TY - JOUR T1 - Families’ views on ward rounds in neonatal units JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition JO - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed SP - F429 LP - F431 DO - 10.1136/adc.2004.061168 VL - 90 IS - 5 AU - R Bramwell AU - M Weindling Y1 - 2005/09/01 UR - http://fn.bmj.com/content/90/5/F429.abstract N2 - Objective: To discover parental preferences about visiting during ward rounds. Design: Survey using a short structured interview Setting and participants: Families of babies cared for in a regional neonatal intensive care unit. Results: Eighty six respondents, no refusals. Sixty three had visited during a ward round, and 13 had come in especially for the round. About half had overheard conversations about other babies or thought discussions about their baby had been overheard. Concerns about these experiences were only expressed by respondents who had actually experienced overhearing. Parents and families had little information about the ward round, held diverse views, and expressed different priorities. They described a mixture of concerns about communication, practicalities, and issues of ethics and principle. Confidentiality was a matter of concern for some, but many parents expected some sharing of information between families on the unit. Conclusions: Units should consider: the information they have for parents about ward rounds; the possibility that consultations may be overheard; the opportunities for parents to communicate with the clinical team. ER -