Care for the Caregivers

Elkhart General Hospital began Schwartz Center Rounds® last fall, and the program is quickly gaining popularity among caregivers and staff.

Cindie McPhie, Elkhart General Vice President of Operations, brought the program to the hospital with strong support from hospital leadership. They believed the program could increase understanding and communication among hospital team members, reduce stress among staff as well as foster deeper connections with patients and their families.

“The fact that the Rounds are a safe and nonjudgmental forum is extremely important,” says McPhie. “It’s not a medical review in any way. It’s simply a way to express the emotions that come out with difficult patient-related situations.”

Schwartz Rounds panel members at Elkhart General include (L to R): Roger Hershberger, Cindie McPhie and Michelle Bache, MD.

Based at Massachusetts General Hospital, the Schwartz Center guides over 300 hospitals and other facilities across the United States in holding multidisciplinary rounds that focus solely on the emotional impact of caregiving. Sessions may focus on a particular patient case or a theme with broad appeal.

Elkhart General emergency medicine physician Michelle Bache, MD, Medical Director for Schwartz Center Rounds, believes the Rounds are beneficial for addressing the day-to-day stresses that can affect a provider on a personal level.

“This program,” Dr. Bache says, “is unique in the sense that there isn’t another opportunity that provides a protected, dedicated time that all the members of a multidisciplinary caregiving team can come together to discuss these emotional, social and spiritual issues that surround patient care.”