No substitute for experience: do consultants that have been practising for longer lead faster post-take medical ward rounds?

AIM: To ascertain whether consultants that have been practising for longer lead faster post-take medical ward rounds. METHOD: Single-centre observational study of nine consultant physicians at morning post-take medical ward rounds at a district general hospital in the North West of London. RESULTS: Data were gathered from 25 post-take medical ward rounds. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that less time is spent per patient when consultants have been practising for longer (p<0.01), or have spent more time on the specialist register (p<0.01), with no discernible relation to the outcomes for the patients seen. This time is further reduced when a greater number of patients are seen on the ward round.