ATLANTA – (January 8, 2009) – Saint Joseph’s Hospital is instituting Schwartz Center Rounds®, a national program that helps hospital staff members explore and process emotions that come up in the daily work of caring for patients.
“In today’s health care reality, caregivers are caring for much sicker and more complicated patients but with less time and resources,” says Melissa Schepp, MD, medical director of Saint Joseph’s palliative care program. “The multidisciplinary ‘rounds’ are an effort to help caregivers focus on an illnesses’ effect on the patient rather than focusing on the illness, and ultimately provide the compassion that is central to Saint Joseph’s mission.”
The rounds, co-sponsored by Saint Joseph’s palliative care, ethics and clinical pastoral care departments, are taking place monthly except June, July and December. Discussions begin with a specific case and expand to all issues of patient care including topics such as relating with families, ‘when enough is not enough,’ delivering bad news, caring for a colleague, etc. “Caregivers get very close to their patients and families and it can lead to a lot of stress,” says Dr. Schepp. “We hope these rounds will provide a place for all caregivers to express their emotions, resolve issues or difficulties and offer solutions for the next situation.”
Approximately 160 hospitals across the country have instituted Schwartz Center Rounds. Results of a recent participants survey concluded that the rounds help caregivers connect better with patients emotionally; enhance their understanding of the effects of illness on the patient and their family; improve teamwork and communication among caregivers and decrease feelings of caregiver stress and isolation.
“Saint Joseph’s is deeply committed to providing the best patient care as exemplified in its multidisciplinary approach to treatment, collegial relationships among physicians, tumor conferences to review current cases and palliative/pastoral care consultations for patients,” says Dr. Schepp. “This is taking that commitment a step further to ensure that our caregivers are receiving the most effective support, as well.”
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