The Educational Value of Ward Rounds as a Learning and Teaching Opportunity for House Officer, Medical Officers, and Registrars in Sudanese Hospitals: A multi-center cross sectional study

Background: Ward rounds are a cornerstone in the educational experience of junior doctors and essential part for teaching patient care. Here, we aimed to assess the doctors’ perception about ward rounds as an educational opportunity and to determine the obstacles to conduct a proper ward round in Sudanese hospitals. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from the 15th to the 30th of January 2022, among house officers, medical officers, and registrars in about 50 teaching and referral hospitals in Sudan. House officers and medical officers were considered the learners, while specialist registrars were considered the teachers. Doctors' perception was assessed using an online questionnaire, with a 5-Likert scale answering questions. Results: A total of 2,011 doctors participated in this study (882 house officers, 697 medical officers, and 432 registrars). The participants aged 26.9 ± 3.2 years, and females constituted about 60% of the sample. An average of 3.1 ± 6.8 ward rounds were conducted per week in our hospitals, with 11.1 ± 20.3 hours spent on ward rounds per week. A large majority of the doctors agreed that ward rounds are suitable for teaching patient management (91.3%) and diagnostic investigations (89.1%). Almost all the doctors agreed that being interested in teaching (95.1%) and communicating appropriately with the patients (94.7%) make a good teacher on ward rounds. Furthermore, nearly all the doctors agreed that being interested in learning (94.3%) and communicating appropriately with the teacher (94.5%) make a good student on ward rounds. About 92.8% of the doctors stated that ward rounds' quality could be improved. The most frequently reported obstacles that were faced during ward rounds were the noise (70%) and lack of privacy (77%) in the ward environment. Conclusion: Ward rounds have a special value on teaching patient diagnosis and management. Being interested in teaching/learning and having good communication skills were the two major criteria that make a good teacher/learner. Unfortunately, ward rounds are faced by obstacles related to the ward environment. It is mandatory to ensure the quality of both ward rounds' teaching and environment in order to optimise the educational value and subsequently improve patient care practice.