Morning Report
Overview | Video | Key TakeawaysOverview
Morning report is a case-based conference focused on clinical teaching. As the name suggests, these sessions typically occur in the morning, and attendance may be mandatory for all residents and students in the program with the exception of those caring for critical patients, managing emergencies, or on electives outside the department.
The typical morning report format involves residents presenting and reviewing patient cases, hospital courses, and other clinical information, often leading up to the diagnosis or final outcome. This format provides a basis for subsequent questions and answers, comments, and suggestions from faculty and members of the residency program not directly involved in that patient’s care. It is a classic example of the teaching methods used in clinical medicine where teaching is based on asking questions and pursuing discussion based on the answers. It is also meant to be a highly participatory exercise in which all are encouraged to ask questions and propose answers. To ensure participation, it is common for the faculty or chief residents to call on individual residents.
In real time, morning report takes approximately one hour, so this video has been edited significantly to highlight the key elements. For the purpose of understanding the objectives of morning report, observing how people communicate, present information, and exchange questions and answers is more important than trying to follow the actual medical content.
