There are many words to describe how spirituality manifests itself in healthcare such as compassion, empathy and caring. New terminology has been reported in a September New York Times article that quotes Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care Executive Director Julie Rosen saying, "At some centers, ‘Schwartz’ has become a verb. To ‘de-Schwartz’ means to lose one’s compassion, and to ‘Schwartz it’ means to add conviction and compassion to a job.”Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale plans to "Schwartz it" as it joins other Catholic Health East member hospitals in offering Schwartz Center Rounds®.
As with traditional rounds, topics are drawn from actual patient cases and provide a structure for medical providers across disciplines to openly and confidentially discuss the social and emotional aspects of patient care with the desired outcome of having participants gain greater insight into their own feelings and to foster improved relationships with patients and colleagues.
Schwartz Center founder Kenneth B. Schwartz, a 40 year-old healthcare attorney diagnosed with lung cancer, wrote in The Boston Globe of his battle with the disease shortly before his death in 1995 saying:
It has been a harrowing experience for me and for my family. And yet, the ordeal has been punctuated by moments of exquisite compassion. I have been the recipient of an extraordinary array of human and humane responses to my plight. These acts of kindness — the simple human touch from my caregivers — have made the unbearable bearable.
Rounds now take place at more than 240 healthcare facilities in 35 states. The forum gives caregivers the opportunity to discuss the stresses and frustrations of patient care, hear from peers about their experiences in dealing with difficult patients or their families, examine their own prejudices and beliefs and reduce the feeling of loneliness that often accompanies the job.
By instituting Rounds at Holy Cross, we dedicate resources to underscore the importance of reviewing, analyzing and improving all aspects of patient care and our commitment to supporting our Associates.
An evaluation of the Rounds program published in the June 2010 issue of Academic Medicine detailed outcomes for individual caregivers and perceptions of departmental and hospital outcomes. Based on survey results of 256 caregivers at six sites where Rounds had operated for more than three years and 222 caregivers at 10 hospitals that had newly implemented Rounds, the study found:
• Fifty-one percent of caregivers at Rounds sites and 40 percent at new sites reported that Rounds prompted patient-centered changes in departmental or hospital policies.
• Eight in 10 of all respondents experienced increased insight into non-clinical aspects of patient care.
• Nine in 10 reported greater appreciation for their co-workers or improved communication with colleagues about non-clinical aspects of care.
• More than three-fourths reported more support in their patient care.
Institutions must obtain permission from the Schwartz Center before offering Rounds. The effort to bring Rounds to Holy Cross Hospital first began three years ago. The Rounds require a physician leader, professional facilitator and the ongoing commitment of an interdisciplinary planning committee to manage topic selection and logistics including scheduling and location.