Caring for the healthcare professional.

Purpose Hospitals must systematically support employees in innovative ways to uphold a culture of care that strengthens the system. At a leading Canadian academic pediatric rehabilitation hospital, over 90 percent of clinicians viewed Schwartz Rounds™ (SR) as a hospital priority, resulting in its formal implementation as a quality improvement initiative. The purpose of this paper is to describe how the hospital implemented SR to support the socio-emotional impact of providing care. Design/methodology/approach This quantitative descriptive study provides a snapshot of the impact of each SR through online surveys at four assessment points (SR1-SR4). A total of 571 responses were collected. Findings All four SR addressed needs of staff as 92.9-97.6 percent of attendees reported it had a positive impact, and 96.4-100 percent of attendees reported each SR was relevant. Attendees reported significantly greater communication with co-workers after each SR ( p<0.001) and more personal conversations with supervisors after SR2 and SR4 ( p<0.05) compared to non-attendees. Attending SR also increased their perspective-taking capacity across the four SR. Practical implications As evidenced in this quality improvement initiative, SR addresses staff's need for time to process the socio-emotional impacts of care and to help reduce those at risk for compassion fatigue. SR supports and manages the emotional healthcare culture, which has important implications for quality patient care. Originality/value This research details an organization's process to implement SR and highlights the importance of taking care of the care provider.

Developing a Compassionate Culture Within Pediatric Rehabilitation: Does the Schwartz Rounds™ Support Both Clinical and Nonclinical Hospital Workers in Managing Their Work Experiences?

Schwartz Rounds™ offers an interprofessional forum for staff to openly engage in discussions about social-emotional aspects of care. We aimed to assess the perceived impact of Rounds in the health care context of pediatric rehabilitation, as well as a comparative analysis of how Rounds affected clinical versus nonclinical staff. Does effect on perceived outcomes was also investigated. Data were collected from 29 hospital staff (15 clinicians, 14 nonclinicians) who attended one, two, or three+ Rounds via semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis indicated impacts at the personal and social levels (e.g., reduced stress, increased level of approaching behaviors, normalizing and validating emotional experiences, and building bridges within the hospital). Data also revealed the novel finding of Rounds affecting professional knowledge and skills (e.g., interprofessional practice, reflective practice, clinical imagination). These findings elucidate how Schwartz Rounds™ is beneficial in a pediatric rehabilitation setting, albeit somewhat differentially for clinical and nonclinical staff.