How to present a patient on ward rounds
Who, why they came, what you found, what you think, and what you've done. One minute, no filler.
On this page
The one-minute format
- Who: name, age, sex, relevant background.
- Why: presenting complaint and duration.
- Key findings: important positives and negatives on history and examination.
- Investigations: what's back and what's pending.
- Impression: what you think is going on.
- Plan: what you've done and what you suggest.
Example
"Mr Ahmed, 62, known diabetic and hypertensive, admitted last night with 2 days of fever and productive cough. He's tachypnoeic at 26, SpO₂ 90% on air, with right basal crackles. CRP is 180, chest X-ray shows right lower lobe consolidation, CURB-65 is 2. Impression is community-acquired pneumonia. He's on co-amoxiclav and clarithromycin and oxygen to keep sats 94–98%. Plan is to review cultures and repeat bloods tomorrow."
Follow-up patients
"Day 3 of pneumonia treatment, fever settled, sats 96% on air, CRP down from 180 to 60. Plan to switch to oral and discharge tomorrow if he stays well."
Common mistakes
- Reading the whole history from the file.
- Burying the key finding.
- Not giving your own impression.
- Not knowing the latest results.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a ward round presentation be?
About one minute for a new patient and 20–30 seconds for a follow-up.