Disclosures: Kareen A. Velez, MD, FAAPMR: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To test the effects of weekly, interdisciplinary bedside rounds on MD, patient & family-centered care outcomes and healthcare costs.
Design: Retrospective Cohort Study Setting : Academic Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (AIRF) Participants : Retrospective chart reviews were conducted on consecutive patients admitted to our SCI/D AIRF from September 2019 to February 2020.
Interventions: A physician lead, interdisciplinary, inpatient SCI/D MD Advisory Committee was implemented from September 2018 to September 2019. Team members include pharmacist, case managers, social workers, rehabilitation psychologists, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, respiratory therapist, wound-ostomy nurses, inpatient nurses and nursing assistants. Weekly interdisciplinary bedside rounds with MD team members was piloted from October 2019 to February 2020.
Main Outcome Measures: Patient & family satisfaction surveys
Results: Weekly interdisciplinary bedside rounds on veterans with SCI/D with complex bio-psycho-social background resulted in seamless, effective and efficient patient care, with reduced MD, decreased healthcare cost and improved customer satisfaction. Conclusions: Our SCI/D AIRF delivers cares to a highly populated, underserved region, with complex bio-psycho-social backgrounds. As a rapidly expanding center established in 2009, it has large service demands and limited resources. As a result, there is high MD among patients and staff, which leads to poor patient outcomes, reduced patient & family satisfaction, and increased healthcare cost. Our pilot study shows that implementing weekly, interdisciplinary bedside rounds in this population decreases MD among veterans, family and staff members delivering care. Thus, ameliorating the imbalance of a high demand, low supply health care system.
Level of Evidence: Level II
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Velez KA, Morris C. Reduction of Moral Distress (MD) in Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries/Disorders (SCI/D) and Complex Biopsychosocial Backgrounds by Implementing Weekly Interdisciplinary Bedside Rounds [abstract]. PM R. 2020; 12(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/reduction-of-moral-distress-md-in-veterans-with-spinal-cord-injuries-disorders-sci-d-and-complex-biopsychosocial-backgrounds-by-implementing-weekly-interdisciplinary-bedside-rounds/. Accessed May 31, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2020
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/reduction-of-moral-distress-md-in-veterans-with-spinal-cord-injuries-disorders-sci-d-and-complex-biopsychosocial-backgrounds-by-implementing-weekly-interdisciplinary-bedside-rounds/