Non-clinical rounds in hospital settings: a scoping review Paraskevi Angelopoulou and Efharis Panagopoulou Department of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to systematically describe the types of non-clinical rounds implemented in hospital settings. Design/methodology/approach – This scoping review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA. The review followed the four stages of conducting scoping review as defined by Arskey and O’Malley (2005). Findings – Initially, 978 articles were identified through database search from which only 24 studies were considered relevant and included in the final review. Overall, eight types of non-clinical rounds were identified (death rounds, grand rounds, morbidity and mortality conferences, multidisciplinary rounds, patient safety rounds, patient safety huddles, walkarounds and Schwartz rounds) that independently of their format, goal, participants and type of outcomes aimed to enhance patient safety and improve quality of healthcare delivery in hospital settings, either by focusing on physician, patient or organizational system. Originality/value – To the authors’ knowledge this is the first review that aims to provide a comprehensive summary to the types of non-clinical rounds that has been applied in clinical settings. Keywords Patient safety, Positive psychology, Scoping review, Non-clinical rounds, Schwartz rounds Paper type Literature review Introduction During the past decade, several forms of non-clinical types of patient rounds have been developed in order to nurture a culture of safety within hospital settings (Sølvtofte et al., 2017; Campbell and Thompson, 2007; Graham et al., 2005). While clinical rounds are mainly focused on patient consultation and resident training (Bennett et al., 2017), non-clinical rounds are focused on the interaction between all healthcare staff working in the same department regarding patient safety and/or organizational issues (Zimmerman et al., 2008; Budrevics and O’Neill, 2005). Non-clinical rounds can be formal or informal (Aaronson et al., 2015; Thomas et al., 2005). They may address extended audiences or small groups, while meetings may be conducted on a monthly base or over longer periods of time (Sexton et al., 2014). The specific aim of non-clinical rounds can be either to inform hospital management on organizational issues (Frankel et al., 2005; Schwendimann et al., 2013), or to educate healthcare staff on managing and preventing adverse events (Hough et al., 2005; George, 2017), or to provide a safe place for staff to work through their emotions on work-related issues (Goodrich, 2012; Lown and Manning, 2010; Barker et al., 2016). Ultimately, the implementation of non-clinical rounds requires managers and frontline staff to work together toward a better understanding of their professional roles, work-related demands as well as emotional problems deriving from the delivery of healthcare (Clarke et al., 2007; Sexton et al., 2006; Leonard et al., 2004). Non-clinical rounds are considered essential in establishing a patient safety culture, which requires staff to establish communication, mutual trust, and shared perceptions of quality, well-being and safety (Sorra et al., 2016). Despite their identified importance for quality of care and patient safety, there is a lack of systematic framework for the development, implementation and evaluation of non-clinical rounds in hospital settings. Journal of Health Organization and Management Vol. 33 No. 5, 2019 pp. 605-616 © Emerald Publishing Limited 1477-7266 DOI 10.1108/JHOM-09-2018-0244 Received 4 September 2018 Revised 27 February 2019 Accepted 27 February 2019 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1477-7266.htm 605 Non-clinical rounds in hospital settings