Ethics in practice: Schwartz rounds and veterinary clinical ethics committees

Abstract

Structured approaches to emotional and moral distress, such as Schwartz rounds and clinical ethical committees, are common in human medicine, but less so in veterinary medicine. Although different in their goals, they are both ways to provide organisational structures that support moral resilience. It is possible that, by creating a sense of moral agency and community, these interventions could also help to mitigate moral distress in staff members. Veterinary nurses have an important role to play in developing forums for ethical discussion within practice and the profession. This article discusses the structure and function of both approaches, and looks at what roles veterinary nurses can play in their development and management.