An Organisational guide: Understanding, implementing and sustaining Schwartz Rounds.

Providing high quality healthcare has an emotional impact on staff. Often they experience high levels of psychological distress, face increasing levels of scrutiny, regulation and demand, and have increasingly limited resources. Schwartz Center Rounds® (Rounds) were developed to support healthcare staff deliver compassionate care by providing a safe space where staff could openly share and reflect on the emotional, social and ethical challenges of their work. Rounds are a monthly staff forum (not attended by patients) where three to four employees (panellists) present short accounts of their experiences of delivering patient care. The panel either present an experience of a particular patient case that is shared collectively, or present a set of individual experiences based around a theme (‘A patient I’ll never forget’ or ‘What keeps me awake at night’ for example). The Round lasts for one hour and initially panellists speak for five minutes each, followed by a facilitated discussion with contributions from the audience.