Protocol for a Pilot Study of Schwartz Rounds in an Australian Setting: A Team and System Level Wellness Intervention (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Schwartz Rounds are a unique, organisation-wide interdisciplinary intervention aimed at enhancing staff wellbeing, compassionate care, teamwork, and organisational culture in healthcare settings. They provide a safe space wherein both clinical and non-clinical health staff can connect and share their experiences about the social and emotional aspects of health care. OBJECTIVE Although Schwartz Rounds have been assessed and widely implemented in the United States and United Kingdom, they are yet to be formally evaluated Australian healthcare settings. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and impact of Schwartz Rounds on staff wellbeing, compassionate care and organisational culture, in a tertiary metropolitan hospital in Brisbane, Australia. METHODS This mixed methods repeated measures pilot study will recruit 24 participants in two groups from two departments, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the gastroenterology department. Participants from each group will take part in three unit-based Schwartz Rounds. Primary outcomes will include the study and intervention feasibility measures while secondary outcomes will include Maslach Burnout inventory, the Schwartz Centre Compassionate Care Scale, and Culture of Care Barometer. Primary and secondary outcomes will be collected at baseline, post-round, and three-month follow-up. Two focus-groups will be held approximately two months after completion of the Schwartz Rounds. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to compare quantitative data across time points and groups. Qualitative data from focus groups and free-text survey questions will be analysed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. RESULTS The study was approved by the Mater Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee (reference number: HREC/MML/71868) and recruitment commenced in July 2021; study completion is anticipated by May 2022. CONCLUSIONS The study will contribute to the assessment of feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the Schwartz Rounds in a tertiary Australian hospital, during the COVID-19 pandemic. CLINICALTRIAL Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Id is ACTRN12621001473853.