Schwartz Round

What are Schwartz Rounds?

Schwartz Rounds are a multidisciplinary forum designed for staff to come together once a month to discuss and reflect on the non-clinical aspects of caring for patients – that is, the emotional and social challenges associated with their jobs. Attending Rounds can be experienced as both supportive and transformative and staff attending Rounds report (Lown & Manning, 2010) (Goodrich, 2012):

  • decreased feelings of stress and isolation
  • improved team work and interdisciplinary communication
  • increased insight into social and emotional aspects of patient care and confidence to deal with non-clinical issues relating to patients
  • changes in departmental or organisation wide practices as a result of insights that have arisen from discussions in Rounds.

Schwartz Rounds are being relaunched both virtually and in-person at GEH and SWFT sites, watch out for dates and time being advertised.

Schwartz Round resource sheets

Schwartz Round TopicDate
Compassion FatigueNovember 2022
International NursesAugust 2023
The Other Side of the BedSeptember 2023
A part or Apart- Feelings of Isolation at WorkFebruary/March 2024
My Covid JourneyApril 2024

Watch an example round

References

Goodrich, J. (2012) ‘Supporting hospital staff to provice compassionate care: Do SchwartzCenter Rounds work in English hospitals?’, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 106, pp.117-122. Available at: https://www.pointofcarefoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/2012-Goodrich-JRSM.pdf (Accessed: 30 November 2022).

Lown, B. and Manning, C. (2010) ‘The Schwartz Center Rounds: Evaluation of an interdiciplinary approach to enhancing patient-centered communication, teamwork and provider support’. Academic Medicine, 85(6), pp.1073-1081. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2010/06000/The_Schwartz_Center_Rounds__Evaluation_of_an.37.aspx (Accessed: 30 November 2022).