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February 28-March 01, 2019 | Paris, France
Palliative Care, Obstetrics and Gynecology
Stroke and Clinical Trials
International Conference on
Joint Event on
International Conference on
&
Journal of Research and Reports in Gynecology and Obstetrics | Volume: 3
Schwartz center rounds: Fostering compassion, communication, and teamwork
Richard Penson
Massachusetts General Hospital, USA
S
hortlybeforehisdeath in1995, KennethB. Schwartz, acancer
patient at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), founded
the Kenneth B. Schwartz Center®, a non-profit organization
dedicated to supporting and advancing compassionate health
care. TheCenter sponsors Schwartz Rounds®, amultidisciplinary
forum where doctors, nurses, chaplains, social workers, and
other staff reflect on important psychosocial issues that arise
in caring for patients. Attendees participate in an interactive
discussion about issues anchored in a case presentation and
share their experiences, thoughts and feelings. The patient
narratives may center on wonderful events and transcendent
experiences, or awful stories, where staff can only bear witness
to the suffering. The Rounds focus on caregivers’ experiences,
and encourage staff to share insights, own their vulnerabilities,
andsupporteachother. Theprimaryobjective is tofosterhealing
relationships and provide support to professional caregivers,
enhance communication among caregivers, and improve the
connection between patients and caregivers. Currently, more
than 50,000 clinicians attend monthly Schwartz Rounds at 182
sites in 30 states, numbers that are rapidly growing. We will
review the reasons that contribute to the success of this model
of multidisciplinary reflection.
e:
rpenson@partners.orgRes Rep Gynaecol Obstet, Volume 3
DOI: 10.4066/2591-7366-C1-003