The State of Hepatitis C Elimination from the Front Lines: A Qualitative Study of Provider-Perceived Gaps to Treatment Initiation.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C (HCV) is a curable chronic infection, but lack of treatment uptake contributes to ongoing morbidity and mortality. State and national strategies for HCV elimination emphasize the pressing need for people with HCV to receive treatment. OBJECTIVE: To identify provider-perceived barriers that hinder the initiation of curative HCV treatment and elimination of HCV in the USA. APPROACH: Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 36 healthcare providers who have evaluated patients with HCV in New York City, Western/Central New York, and Alabama. Interviews, conducted between 9/2021 and 9/2022, explored providers' experiences, perceptions, and approaches to HCV treatment initiation. Transcripts were analyzed using hybrid inductive and deductive thematic analysis informed by established health services and implementation frameworks. KEY RESULTS: We revealed four major themes: (1) Providers encounter professional challenges with treatment provision, including limited experience with treatment and perceptions that it is beyond their scope, but are also motivated to learn to provide treatment; (2) providers work toward building streamlined and inclusive practice settings-leveraging partnerships with experts, optimizing efficiency through increased access, adopting inclusive cultures, and advocating for integrated care; (3) although at times overwhelmed by patients facing socioeconomic adversity, increases in public awareness and improvements in treatment policies create a favorable context for providers to treat; and (4) providers are familiar with the relative advantages of improved HCV treatments, but the reputation of past treatments continues to deter elimination. CONCLUSIONS: To address the remaining barriers and facilitators providers experience in initiating HCV treatment, strategies will need to expand educational initiatives for primary care providers, further support local infrastructures and integrated care systems, promote public awareness campaigns, remove prior authorization requirements and treatment limitations, and address the negative reputation of outdated HCV treatments. Addressing these issues should be considered priorities for HCV elimination approaches at the state and national levels.

Hepatitis C Virus Elimination Programs in Louisiana and Washington: Importance of Screening and Surveillance Systems.

The US government has established a national goal of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination by 2030. To date, most HCV elimination planning and activity have been at the state level. Fifteen states presently have publicly available HCV elimination plans. In 2019, Louisiana and Washington were the first states to initiate 5-year funded HCV elimination programs. These states differ on motivation for pursuing HCV elimination and ranking on several indicators. Simultaneously, however, they have emphasized several similar elimination components including HCV screening promotion through public awareness, screening expansion, surveillance enhancement (including electronic reporting and task force development), and harm reduction. The 13 other states with published elimination plans have proposed the majority of the elements identified by Louisiana and Washington, but several have notable gaps. Louisiana's and Washington's comprehensive plans, funding approaches, and programs provide a useful framework that can move states and the nation toward HCV elimination.

Cultural and neighborhood characteristics associated with activity-specific parenting practices in Hispanic/Latino youth: a secondary analysis of the Hispanic Community Children's health study/study of Latino youth.

Hispanic/Latino youth are less physically active than non-Hispanic/Latino youth. We assessed whether activity-specific parenting practices relate to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behavior among Hispanic/Latino youth, and whether cultural (acculturation) and neighborhood characteristics (perceived barriers to activity) relate to the use of parenting practice patterns. Using the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth, n = 976 8-16-year-olds), we modeled linear regression associations between parenting practices and mean daily MVPA and sedentary behavior. Parenting practice patterns were then developed using k-means cluster analysis, and regressed on parental acculturation and neighborhood characteristics. Discipline predicted higher MVPA in females (ß 1.89 [95% CI 0.11-3.67]), while Monitoring/Reinforcement predicted higher MVPA in males (ß 4.71 [95% CI 0.68-8.74]). Three patterns were then identified: Negative Reinforcement (high Limit Setting and Discipline use), Positive Reinforcement (high Limit Setting and Monitoring/Reinforcement use), and Permissive Parenting (low parenting practice use). Higher acculturation predicted use of Positive Reinforcement. Activity-specific parenting practices are associated with activity in sex-specific ways among Hispanic/Latino youth, and cultural factors predict the use of parenting practices.

Association Between Patient Diversity in Hospitals and Racial/Ethnic Differences in Patient Length of Stay.

BACKGROUND: Hospitals serving a disproportionate share of racial/ethnic minorities have been shown to have poorer quality outcomes. It is unknown whether efficiencies in inpatient care, measured by length of stay (LOS), differ based on the proportion patients served by a hospital who are minorities. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the racial/ethnic diversity of a hospital's patients and disparities in LOS. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: One million five hundred forty-six thousand nine hundred fifty-five admissions using the 2017 New York State Inpatient Database from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. MAIN MEASURE: Differences in mean adjusted LOS (ALOS) between White and Black, Hispanic, and Other (Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, and Other) admissions by Racial/Ethnic Diversity Index (proportion of non-White patients admitted to total patients admitted to that same hospital) in quintiles (Q1 to Q5), stratified by discharge destination. Mean LOS was adjusted for patient demographic, clinical, and admission characteristics and for individual intercepts for each hospital. KEY RESULTS: In both unadjusted and adjusted analysis, Black-White and Other-White mean LOS differences were smallest in the most diverse hospitals (Black-White: unadjusted, -0.07 days [-0.1 to -0.04], and adjusted, 0.16 days [95% CI: 0.16 to 0.16]; Other-White: unadjusted, -0.74 days [95% CI: -0.77 to -0.71], and adjusted, 0.01 days [95% CI: 0.01 to 0.02]). For Hispanic patients, in unadjusted analysis, the mean LOS difference was greatest in the most diverse hospitals (-0.92 days, 95% CI: -0.95 to -0.89) but after adjustment, this was no longer the case. Similar patterns across all racial/ethnic groups were observed after analyses were stratified by discharge destination. CONCLUSION: Mean adjusted LOS differences between White and Black patients, and White and patients of Other race was smallest in most diverse hospitals, but not differences between Hispanic and White patients. These findings may reflect specific structural factors which affect racial/ethnic differences in patient LOS.

Thirty-Day Post-Discharge Outcomes Following COVID-19 Infection.

BACKGROUND: The clinical course of COVID-19 includes multiple disease phases. Data describing post-hospital discharge outcomes may provide insight into disease course. Studies describing post-hospitalization outcomes of adults following COVID-19 infection are limited to electronic medical record review, which may underestimate the incidence of outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine 30-day post-hospitalization outcomes following COVID-19 infection. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study SETTING: Quaternary referral hospital and community hospital in New York City. PARTICIPANTS: COVID-19 infected patients discharged alive from the emergency department (ED) or hospital between March 3 and May 15, 2020. MEASUREMENT: Outcomes included return to an ED, re-hospitalization, and mortality within 30 days of hospital discharge. RESULTS: Thirty-day follow-up data were successfully collected on 94.6% of eligible patients. Among 1344 patients, 16.5% returned to an ED, 9.8% were re-hospitalized, and 2.4% died. Among patients who returned to the ED, 50.0% (108/216) went to a different hospital from the hospital of the index presentation, and 61.1% (132/216) of those who returned were re-hospitalized. In Cox models adjusted for variables selected using the lasso method, age (HR 1.01 per year [95% CI 1.00-1.02]), diabetes (1.54 [1.06-2.23]), and the need for inpatient dialysis (3.78 [2.23-6.43]) during the index presentation were independently associated with a higher re-hospitalization rate. Older age (HR 1.08 [1.05-1.11]) and Asian race (2.89 [1.27-6.61]) were significantly associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients discharged alive following their index presentation for COVID-19, risk for returning to a hospital within 30 days of discharge was substantial. These patients merit close post-discharge follow-up to optimize outcomes.

Challenges with social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic among Hispanics in New York City: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Hispanics in the United States are disproportionately affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). While social distancing and quarantining are effective methods to reduce its spread, Hispanics, who are more likely to be essential workers and live in multigenerational homes than non-Hispanics, may face challenges that limit their ability to carry out these preventative efforts. We elicited the experiences of Hispanic adults with social distancing and self-quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. METHODS: In this qualitative study, Hispanic adults receiving care at a federally qualified community health center in East Harlem, New York, were recruited for remote one-on-one semi-structured interviews from 5/15/2020 to 11/17/2020. Interviews were conducted by a bilingual interviewer in Spanish or English, using a semi-structured topic guide informed by the Health Belief Model. Audio-recordings were professionally transcribed. We used thematic analysis to iteratively code the data. Each transcript was independently coded by two research team members, then reconciled by a third. Major themes and subthemes were identified. RESULTS: Among 20 participants, four major themes emerged; Hispanics were: (1) fearful of contracting and transmitting COVID-19, (2) engaging in practices to reduce transmission of COVID-19, (3) experiencing barriers to social distancing and quarantining, and (4) facing an enduring psychological and physical toll from COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Despite understanding the risks for contracting COVID-19 and taking appropriate precautions, Hispanics faced numerous challenges to social distancing and quarantining, such as living in crowded, multi-generational households, working as essential workers, and providing unpaid care to family members. Such challenges took a toll on their physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Our findings suggest that a tailored approach to public health messaging and interventions for pandemic planning are warranted among members of this community. Further research is needed to understand and mitigate the long term physical and psychological consequences of the pandemic among Hispanics.

Impact of a Patient-Centered Behavioral Economics Intervention on Hypertension Control in a Highly Disadvantaged Population: a Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled hypertension contributes to disparities in cardiovascular outcomes. Patient intervention strategies informed by behavioral economics and social psychology could improve blood pressure (BP) control in disadvantaged minority populations. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact on BP control of an intervention combining short-term financial incentives with promotion of intrinsic motivation among highly disadvantaged patients. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred seven adults (98% African American or Latino) aged 18 or older with uncontrolled hypertension attending Federally Qualified Health Centers. INTERVENTION: Six-month intervention, combining financial incentives for measuring home BP, recording medication use, BP improvement, and achieving target BP values with counseling linking hypertension control efforts to participants' personal reasons to stay healthy. MAIN MEASURES: Primary outcomes: percentage achieving systolic BP (SBP) < 140 mmHg, percentage achieving diastolic BP (DBP) < 90 mmHg, and changes in SBP and DBP, all after 6 months. Priority secondary outcomes were SBP < 140 mmHg, DBP < 90 mmHg, and BP change at 12 months, 6 months after the intervention ended. KEY RESULTS: After 6 months, rates of achieving target BP values for intervention and control subjects respectively was 57.1% vs. 40.2% for SBP < 140 mmHg (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.53 (1.13-5.70)), 79.8% vs 70.1% for DBP < 90 mmHg (AOR 2.50 (0.84-7.44)), and 53.6% vs 40.2% for achieving both targets (AOR 2.04 (0.92-4.52)). However, at 12 months, the groups did not differ significantly in these 3 measures: 39.5% vs 35.0% for SBP (AOR 1.20 (0.51-2.83)), 68.4% vs 75.0% for DBP (AOR 0.70 (0.24-2.09)), and 35.5% vs 33.8% for both (AOR 1.03 (0.44-2.42)). Change in absolute SBP and DBP did not differ significantly between the groups at 6 or 12 months. Exploratory post hoc analysis revealed intervention benefit only occurred among individuals whose providers intensified their regimens, but not among those with intensification but no intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention achieved short-term improvement in SBP control in a highly disadvantaged population. Despite attempts to enhance intrinsic motivation, the effect was not sustained after incentives were withdrawn. Future research should evaluate combined patient/provider strategies to enhance such interventions and sustain their benefit. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01402453; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01402453.

Receipt of Caregiving and Fall Risk in US Community-dwelling Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Falls and fall-related injuries (FRI) are common and costly occurrences among older adults living in the community, with increased risk for those with physical and cognitive limitations. Caregivers provide support for older adults with physical functioning limitations, which are associated with fall risk. DESIGN: Using the 2004-2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study, we examined whether receipt of low (0-13 weekly hours) and high levels (≥14 weekly hours) of informal care or any formal care is associated with lower risk of falls and FRIs among community-dwelling older adults. We additionally tested whether serious physical functioning (≥3 activities of daily living) or cognitive limitations moderated this relationship. RESULTS: Caregiving receipt categories were jointly significant in predicting noninjurious falls (P=0.03) but not FRIs (P=0.30). High levels of informal care category (P=0.001) and formal care (P<0.001) had stronger associations with reduced fall risk relative to low levels of informal care. Among individuals with ≥3 activities of daily living, fall risks were reduced by 21% for those receiving high levels of informal care; additionally, FRIs were reduced by 42% and 58% for those receiving high levels of informal care and any formal care. High levels of informal care receipt were also associated with a 54% FRI risk reduction among the cognitively impaired. CONCLUSIONS: Fall risk reductions among older adults occurred predominantly among those with significant physical and cognitive limitations. Accordingly, policy efforts involving fall prevention should target populations with increased physical functioning and cognitive limitations. They should also reduce financial barriers to informal and formal caregiving.

Claims-based Identification Methods and the Cost of Fall-related Injuries Among US Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Compare expenditures of fall-related injuries (FRIs) using several methods to identify FRIs in administrative claims data. RESEARCH DESIGN: Using 2007-2009 Medicare claims and 2008 Health and Retirement Survey data, FRIs were identified using external-cause-of-injury (e-codes 880/881/882/884/885/888) only, e-codes plus a broad set of primary diagnosis codes, and a newer approach using e-codes and diagnostic and procedural codes. Linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic, health, and geographic characteristics were used to estimate per-FRI, service component, patient cost share, expenditures by type of initial FRI treatment (inpatient, emergency department only, outpatient), and total annual FRI-related Medicare expenditures. SUBJECTS: The analysis included 5497 community-dwelling adults ≥65 (228 FRI, 5269 non-FRI individuals) with continuous Medicare coverage and alive during the 24-month study. RESULTS: The 3 FRI identification methods produced differing distributions of index FRI type and varying estimated expenditures: $12,171 [95% confidence interval (CI), $4662-$19,680], $5648 (95% CI, $3819-$7476), and $9388 (95% CI, $5969-$12,808). In all models, most spending occurred in hospital, outpatient, and skilled nursing facility (SNF) settings, but greater proportions of SNF and outpatient spending were observed with commonly used FRI identification methods. Patient cost-sharing was estimated at $691-$1900 across the 3 methods. Inpatient-treated index FRIs were more expensive than emergency department and outpatient-treated FRIs across all methods, but were substantially higher when identifying FRI using only e-codes. Estimated total FRI-related Medicare expenditures were highly variable across methods. CONCLUSIONS: FRIs are costly, with implications for Medicare and its beneficiaries. However, expenditure estimates vary considerably based on the method used to identify FRIs.

Does the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Recommendation of Opt-Out HIV Screening Impact the Effect of Stigma on HIV Test Acceptance?

HIV/AIDS-related stigma is a key factor impeding patient utilization of HIV testing services. To destigmatize HIV testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended an 'opt-out' screening strategy aimed at all patients in all clinical settings, regardless of HIV risk. This study assessed whether opt-out screening as compared to opt-in screening was associated with increased uptake of HIV testing among patients with HIV/AIDS-related stigma concerns. This study included 374 patients attending two Los Angeles ambulatory care clinics. Stigma items were grouped into three constructs: Blame/isolation, abandonment, and contagion. Individuals endorsing the blame/isolation subscale (AOR = 0.52; 95 % CI 0.29-0.92; p\0.05) and abandonment subscale (AOR = 0.27; 95 % CI 0.13-0.59; p\0.01) were significantly less likely to accept an HIV test. Additionally, the opt-out model did not counter the negative effects of stigma on HIV test acceptance. These findings indicate that stigma remains a barrier to HIV testing, regardless of the opt-out screening approach.

Rehospitalizations Following Sepsis: Common and Costly.

OBJECTIVE: Although recent studies have shown that 30-day readmissions following sepsis are common, the overall fiscal impact of these rehospitalizations and their variability between hospitals relative to other high-risk conditions, such as congestive heart failure and acute myocardial infarction, are unknown. The objectives of this study were to characterize the frequency, cost, patient-level risk factors, and hospital-level variation in 30-day readmissions following sepsis compared with congestive heart failure and acute myocardial infarction. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort analysis of hospitalizations from 2009 to 2011. SETTING: All acute care, nonfederal hospitals in California. PATIENTS: Hospitalizations for sepsis (n = 240,198), congestive heart failure (n = 193,153), and acute myocardial infarction (n = 105,684) identified by administrative discharge codes. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The primary outcomes were the frequency and cost of all-cause 30-day readmissions following hospitalization for sepsis compared with congestive heart failure and acute myocardial infarction. Variability in predicted readmission rates between hospitals was calculated using mixed-effects logistic regression analysis. The all-cause 30-day readmission rates were 20.4%, 23.6%, and 17.7% for sepsis, congestive heart failure, and acute myocardial infarction, respectively. The estimated annual costs of 30-day readmissions in the state of California during the study period were $500 million/yr for sepsis, $229 million/yr for congestive heart failure, and $142 million/yr for acute myocardial infarction. The risk- and reliability-adjusted readmission rates across hospitals ranged from 11.0% to 39.8% (median, 19.9%; interquartile range, 16.1-26.0%) for sepsis, 11.3% to 38.4% (median, 22.9%; interquartile range, 19.2-26.6%) for congestive heart failure, and 3.6% to 40.8% (median, 17.0%; interquartile range, 12.2-20.0%) for acute myocardial infarction. Patient-level factors associated with higher odds of 30-day readmission following sepsis included younger age, male gender, Black or Native American race, a higher burden of medical comorbidities, urban residence, and lower income. CONCLUSION: Sepsis is a leading contributor to excess healthcare costs due to hospital readmissions. Interventions at clinical and policy levels should prioritize identifying effective strategies to reduce sepsis readmissions.

Association between claims-based setting of diagnosis and treatment initiation among Medicare patients with hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a claims-based algorithm to determine the setting of a disease diagnosis. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Medicare enrollment and claims data from 2014 to 2019. STUDY DESIGN: We developed a claims-based algorithm using facility indicators, revenue center codes, and place of service codes to identify settings where HCV diagnosis first appeared. When the first appearance was in a laboratory, we attempted to associate HCV diagnoses with subsequent clinical visits. Face validity was assessed by examining association of claims-based diagnostic settings with treatment initiation. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Patients newly diagnosed with HCV and continuously enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B, and D (12 months before and 6 months after index diagnosis) were included. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Among 104,454 patients aged 18-64 and 66,726 aged ≥65, 70.1% and 69%, respectively, were diagnosed in outpatient settings, and 20.2% and 22.7%, respectively in laboratory or unknown settings. Logistic regression revealed significantly lower odds of treatment initiation after diagnosis in emergency departments/urgent cares, hospitals, laboratories, or unclassified settings, than in outpatient visits. CONCLUSIONS: The algorithm identified the setting of HCV diagnosis in most cases, and found significant associations with treatment initiation, suggesting an approach that can be adapted for future claims-based studies.

Using insights from behavioral economics and social psychology to help patients manage chronic diseases.

Despite a revolution in therapeutics, the ability to control chronic diseases remains elusive. We present here a conceptual model of the potential role of behavioral tools in chronic disease control. Clinicians implicitly accept the assumption that patients will act rationally to maximize their self-interest. However, patients may not always be the rational actors that we imagine. Major behavioral barriers to optimal health behavior include patients' fear of threats to health, unwillingness to think about problems when risks are known or data are ambiguous, the discounting of risks that are far in the future, failure to act due to lack of motivation, insufficient confidence in the ability to overcome a health problem, and inattention due to pressures of everyday life. Financial incentives can stimulate initiation of health-promoting behaviors by reducing or eliminating financial barriers, but may not produce long-term behavior change without additional interventions. Strategies have been developed by behavioral economists and social psychologists to address each of these barriers to better decision-making. These include: labeling positive behaviors in ways consistent with patient life goals and priorities; greater focus on more immediate risks of chronic diseases; intermediate subgoals as steps to a large health goal; and implementation of specific plans as to when, where, and how an action will be taken. Such strategies hold promise for improving health behaviors and disease control, but most have not been studied in medical settings. The effectiveness of these approaches should be evaluated for their potential as tools for the clinician.

The association of religiosity with overweight/obese body mass index among Asian Indian immigrants in California.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between religiosity and overweight or obese body mass index among a multi-religious group of Asian Indian immigrants residing in California. METHODS: We examined cross-sectional survey data obtained from in-language telephone interviews with 3228 mostly immigrant Asian Indians in the 2004 California Asian Indian Tobacco Survey using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: High self-identified religiosity was significantly associated with higher BMI after adjusting for socio-demographic and acculturation measures. Highly religious Asian Indians had 1.53 greater odds (95% CI: 1.18, 2.00) of being overweight or obese than low religiosity immigrants, though this varied by religious affiliation. Religiosity was associated with greater odds of being overweight/obese for Hindus (OR 1.54; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.22) and Sikhs (OR 1.88; 95% CI: 1.07, 3.30), but not for Muslims (OR 0.69; 95% CI: 0.28, 1.70). CONCLUSIONS: Religiosity in Hindus and Sikhs, but not immigrant Muslims, appears to be independently associated with greater body mass index among Asian Indians. If this finding is confirmed, future research should identify potentially mutable mechanisms by which religion-specific religiosity affects overweight/obesity risk.

Comparing Hospital Length of Stay Risk-Adjustment Models in US Value-Based Physician Payments.

BACKGROUNG AND OBJECTIVES: Under the Affordable Care Act, the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services created the Physician Value-Based Payment Modifier Program and its successor, the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, to tie physician payments to quality and cost. The addition of hospital length of stay (LOS) to these value-based physician payment models reflects its increasing importance as a metric of health care cost and efficiency and its association with adverse health outcomes. This study compared the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-endorsed LOS risk-adjustment methodology with a novel methodology that accounts for pre-hospitalization clinical, socioeconomic status (SES), and admission-related factors as influential factors of hospital LOS. METHODS: Using the 2014 New York, Florida, and New Jersey State Inpatient Database, we compared the observed-to-expected LOS of 2373102 adult admissions for 742 medical and surgical diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) by 3 models: ( a ) current risk-adjustment model (CRM), which adjusted for age, sex, number of chronic conditions, Elixhauser comorbidity score, and DRG severity weight, ( b ) CRM but modeling LOS using a generalized linear model (C-GLM), and (c) novel risk-adjustment model (NRM), which added to the C-GLM covariates for race/ethnicity, SES, discharge destination, weekend admission, and individual intercepts for DRGs instead of severity weights. RESULTS: The NRM disadvantaged physicians for fewer medical and surgical DRGs, compared with both the C-GLM and CRM models (medical DRGs: 0.49% vs 13.17% and 10.89%, respectively; surgical DRGs: 0.30% vs 13.17% and 10.98%, respectively). In subgroup analysis, the NRM reduced the proportion of physician-penalizing DRGs across all racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, with the highest reduction among Whites, followed by low SES patients, and the lowest reduction among Hispanic patients. CONCLUSIONS: After accounting for pre-hospitalization socioeconomic and clinical factors, the adjusted LOS using the NRM was lower than estimates from the current Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services-endorsed model. The current model may disadvantage physicians serving communities with higher socioeconomic risks.

How team clinical reasoning occurs on ward rounds: Implications for learning.

BACKGROUND: Ward rounds offer a rich environment for learning about team clinical reasoning. We aimed to assess how team clinical reasoning occurs on ward rounds to inform efforts to enhance the teaching of clinical reasoning. METHODS: We performed focused ethnography of ward rounds over a 6-week period, during which we observed five different teams. Each day team comprised one senior physician, one senior resident, one junior resident, two interns and one medical student. Twelve 'night-float' residents who discussed new patients with the day team were also included. Field notes were analysed using content analysis. FINDINGS: We analysed 41 new patient presentations and discussions on 23 different ward rounds. The median duration of case presentations and discussions was 13.0 minutes (IQR, 10.0-18.0 minutes). More time was devoted to information sharing (median 5.5 minutes; IQR, 4.0-7.0 minutes) than any other activity, followed by discussion of management plans (median 4.0 minutes; IQR, 3.0-7.8 minutes). Nineteen (46%) cases did not include discussion of a differential diagnosis for the chief concern. We identified two themes relevant to learning: (1) linear versus iterative approaches to team-based diagnosis and (2) the influence of hierarchy on participation in clinical reasoning discussions. CONCLUSION: The ward teams we observed spent far less time discussing differential diagnoses compared with information sharing. Junior learners such as medical students and interns contributed less frequently to team clinical reasoning discussions. In order to maximise student learning, strategies to engage junior learners in team clinical reasoning discussions on ward rounds may be needed.