Schwartz Center Rounds

Fostering Compassionate Care Through Schwartz  Center Rounds

Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands hosts Schwartz Center Rounds, unique, multi-disciplinary sessions in which hospital staff explore the emotional side of caregiving.  A national program with sites across the country, Schwartz Center Rounds are funded by the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, a Boston-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing compassionate healthcare.

In a typical Rounds session, a panel of caregivers presents a patient case that brought up interesting and important psychosocial issues.  Topics have included:  delivering bad news; when religious or spiritual beliefs conflict with medical advice; taking care of a colleague; and losing a patient.

Hospital staff then share their own thoughts and feelings related to the day's topic.  Unlike grand rounds, these sessions are not about clinical problem-solving, but rather about exploring and processing the emotions that come up in the daily work of hospital staff. 

Benefits of Schwartz Center Rounds

A comprehensive study of Schwartz Center Rounds has shown them to help caregivers:

• connect better with patients emotionally;
• enhance their understanding of the effects of illness on patients and their families;
• improve communication among caregivers;
• decrease feelings of caregiver isolation and stress.

At RHCI, Schwartz Center Rounds are held  every two to three months.  For more information about Schwartz Center Rounds, please visit www.theschwartzcenter.org.