Geographic Wards

In January 2019 we re-designed our ward structures at University Hospital around a geographic ward model that co-locates providers on a single unit. 

You will rotate through wards set up with geographic cohorting, where patient care is streamlined by assigning patients to specific teams based on their location in the hospital.

Geographic wards bring together interdisciplinary teams, including physicians, nurses, and other healthcare providers, who work on the same floor or unit. This model enhances collaboration, communication, and continuity of care, allowing you to develop stronger relationships with your patients and fellow healthcare professionals.

By working in geographic wards, you’ll experience more efficient workflows as your patients are located in closer proximity, reducing time spent traveling between patient rooms and giving you more opportunities for face-to-face interactions with the healthcare team. This proximity fosters better team communication, which is known to improve patient outcomes and reduce medical errors. It also enhances your ability to participate in interdisciplinary rounds, making you an integral part of the care team.

We not afraid to tackle difficult problems.  Changes like this are considered complex service interventions requiring continuous improvement science to get it right.

You will be encouraged to join our improvement groups to learn and contribute teams and system science. 

The opportunities are endless but here are some goals for the future:

• Improve interdisciplinary communication related to patients not on our geographic wards (“rover patients”)
• Develop a system for residents to receive data related to ongoing quality improvement projects
• Participate in the Acute Care Pathway for residents that includes education related to specific inpatient systems-based care topics