Running the board
Formal Definition
The structured practice of systematically reviewing every active item, task, patient issue, and pending result on the team's running worklist (often called "the list" or "the board" when displayed electronically) at signout, on rounds, or at midday, ensuring each item has an owner, a deadline, and a current status; the goal is to prevent tasks from being lost or forgotten during handoffs, identify newly urgent items that need to be re-prioritized, and synchronize the team's mental model of what still needs to be done for each patient.
How It's Used on the Ward
"Run the board" or "let's run the list" — at the start of rounds, at midday, or at signout, the senior runs through every patient systematically: "patient A is going home today — workup is done; patient B is awaiting MRI; patient C needs OP follow-up scheduled..." It ensures nothing gets lost when the team hands off or when the day gets busy.
Example
""Afternoon signout between day and night teams: resident runs the board patient by patient. 'Room 412: tachy overnight, troponin drawn, awaiting result. Room 414: post-op day 1 lap chole, drain still in, plan for discharge tomorrow. Room 416: new hospice consult pending, family meeting scheduled for tomorrow. Room 418: needs repeat INR at 2200 for warfarin bridge...' Each item includes the patient, the active issue, the next step, and the team's plan.""
Clinical Context
Best practice structure: (1) Patient identifier — name, room, MRN. (2) Active issue(s) — what's currently being worked on. (3) Pending results — what's still in the queue. (4) Plan for next shift — what needs to be done by whom and when. (5) Contingencies — what to watch for and when to call the senior. Frequent board types: task lists, patient lists, imaging/lab queues, consult queues. Tools: many EHRs offer "list view" or "handoff tab" that aggregates tasks, results, and notes for a patient or team. Running the board is also a teaching opportunity — the senior uses it to model prioritization, role-model how to think about competing demands, and catch trainee knowledge gaps. Common failure modes: incomplete list at signout (leading to missed overnight issues), tasks without owners (no one to follow up), updates that lose detail ("needs MRI" without specifying which study and which body part), failure to update the board as the day progresses. Strong board-running discipline directly reduces overnight adverse events and improves continuity.