Upcoming events
| Training |
Date |
To register |
| Day two Schwartz Rounds Training for existing Clinical Leads and Facilitators |
25th April 2018 |
Please email Noemi Palacios to reserve a place at upcoming training |
| Day two Schwartz Rounds Training for existing Clinical Leads and Facilitators |
26th April 2018 |
Please email Noemi Palacios to reserve a place at upcoming training |
| Day one Schwartz Rounds Training for existing Clinical Leads and Facilitators |
8th May 2018 |
If your organisation is interested in joining the upcoming cohorts for Schwartz Rounds Training on the 8th May 2018 and has available funding, please register your interest before 16th April 2018 clicking here
|
| Day one training for Schwartz Rounds Administrators |
|
Please email Noemi Palacios to reserve a place at upcoming training |
An introduction to Schwartz Rounds
Schwartz Rounds are conversations with staff about the emotional impact of their work. They provide an evidenced based framework which has been proven to improve staff well-being and teamwork which ultimately has an impact on improved person-centred care.
The journey commenced in 2015, when the Quality Improvement Division engaged the Point of Care Foundation to licence, train and mentor staff in the Blackrock Hospice and the Galway University Hospital to test the introduction of Schwartz Rounds in an Irish context (over 300 healthcare settings in the US and 100 in the UK have successfully introduced rounds). Over the coming two years QID will work collaboratively with the Point of Care Foundation to establish Schwartz Rounds with up to 30 teams in Ireland.
Schwartz Rounds are currently being introduced in 14 sites in Ireland.
What are Schwartz Rounds
Schwartz rounds were developed by the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare in Boston USA. In the US, more than 320 organisations have implemented Rounds while around 100 trusts and hospices are contracted to run Rounds in the UK.
Schwartz Rounds are tightly structured, monthly meetings for multi-professional groups of staff working in health care environments. The Rounds provide an opportunity for staff from all disciplines across a healthcare organisation to reflect on the emotional aspects of their work. The focus is on the human dimension of care. Each round is based on the story of a particular patient or a theme and is briefly presented by 3 or 4 members of staff. This is followed by a facilitated discussion which involves the wider audience and is an opportunity to listen, share and support. Schwartz Rounds provide a framework which helps to improve staff well-being, resilience and support which ultimately has an impact on improved patient centred care. See attached presentation with introduction to Schwartz rounds
Why introduce Schwartz Rounds
Schwartz Rounds have been shown to lead to: increased insight into the social and emotional aspects of patient care; increased confidence to deal with sensitive issues; beliefs in the importance of empathy and actual empathy with patients as people; openness to expressing thoughts, questions and feelings; decreased feelings of stress and isolation; improved team work and interdisciplinary communication; specific changes in departmental or organisation wide practices as a result of insights that have arisen from discussions in Rounds.
Initial data from Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services in Dublin and University Hospital Galway showed that:
“86% of staff said they gained knowledge that will help them care for patients by participating in Schwartz Rounds, which mirrors similar validated evaluations from the UK”.
Data from more than 5,000 respondents in 2015 showed that 85% of staff feel better able to care for patients after attending Schwartz Rounds. In 2013, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) commissioned King’s College London to undertake a major national evaluation of Rounds, which is due to published later this year. Researchers found that the well-being of staff who attended Rounds regularly significantly improved, with the proportion of those with psychological distress halving- down from 25% to 12%.
What are our staff saying?
Introducing Schwartz Rounds in Ireland
If your service is interested in introducing Schwartz rounds, and you have available funding, please contact us. We’ll be happy to speak with you. Once you have made the decision to introduce Schwartz Rounds in your site, the following information may be helpful (Schwartz Rounds – Next Steps).
Group photo from Inaugural Schwartz Rounds Conference - 20th of February, Dublin Castle (click to access)
Pictured here are the Schwartz Round Facilitators and Clinical Leads from Blackrock Hospice and Galway University Hospital along with members of their steering group, members of the Quality Improvement Division and Nicki Power, Schwartz Round Mentor.
Back row: Dr. Catherine Anne Field, Maureen Flynn, Dr. John Fitzsimons, Siobhan Murphy, Ellen Wiseman, Goda Faherty, Olive Gallagher, Irene Maguire, Libby Kinneen, Jean Kelly, Juanita Guidera, Dr. Sean Dinneen, Geraldine Tracey
Front row: Ger Kilkelly, Nicki Power, Schwartz Round Mentor, Krystle Davis, Dr. Joan Cunninghan, Dr. Ursula Bates.
Further Information
For more information on Schwartz Rounds, please see the attached leaflet, and brief introductory presentation on the test of concept in Ireland to date.
Other Useful Resources
Presentations from the Inaugural Schwartz Rounds Conference – Fostering Compassion and Connection
Please click here to access presentations from the Conference
Useful Websites:
Contact
If you have any queries about Schwartz Rounds, please contact:
- Maureen Flynn, Quality Improvement Division Lead Governance and Staff Engagement for Quality | 01 635 2344
- Juanita Guidera, Quality Improvement Division Lead Staff Engagement | 087 064 23 08
- Noemi Palacios, Quality Improvement Division | 01 8131808
