Supporting involved health care professionals (second victims) following an adverse health event: A literature review

Abstract

Background One out of seven patients is involved in an adverse event. The first priority after such an

Doctors’ experiences of adverse events in secondary care: the professional and personal impact

“…Not surprisingly, most had personally experienced involvement in at least one adverse event and the majority reported being affected either personally or professionally by this. [19][20][21] Repercussions for doctors' professional lives were common, including a loss of confi dence in their professional ability, reduced job satisfaction and damaged relationships with colleagues. These feelings, coupled with disrupted sleep (reported by over half of the respondents), stress and anxiety could have a direct detrimental effect on patient safety, and might also threaten the development of a strong organisational safety culture in the longer term.…”

“…[13][14][15][16][17][18] There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that clinicians who directly or indirectly contribute to the occurrence of an adverse event can experience psychological effects that disrupt their professional and personal lives, as well as their ability to deliver high-quality, safe care. [18][19][20][21][22][23] Anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, fear and worry are consistently reported by those involved in adverse events, as are shame, guilt, loss of selfconfi dence, and feelings of incompetence and worthlessness. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29] The severity of these effects is related to the degree of harm to the patient and the clinician's experience of the investigation process; they are more pronounced with more serious incidents.…”

Emotion and Coping in the Aftermath of Medical Error

“…[14] There is also an absence of cross-country research around this issue; much of the current work stems from the US and current literature indicates that there is been greater advancement in clinician support pathways in the US for affected clinicians than in the UK. [15] Health care systems in the UK 4 and US differ; for example, physicians may be much more exposed to malpractice claims in the US which intensifies bad feeling after an error in comparison to the suits pursued at an organisational level in the UK. [16] It is important to understand what is happening in both locations to recognise how ideas and experiences can be shared and adapted to provide more effective support [17] Influential factors in the aftermath of medical error Medical errors vary in terms of the degree of potential or actual patient harm resulting from them.…”

Nurses' experiences with errors in nursing

“…Frequently these individuals feel personally responsible for the unexpected patient outcome" (p. 326). One study revealed that as many as half of all healthcare providers have become second victims at some point in their professional career (Seys et al, 2013). As 'second victims,' individuals were affected in both their personal and professional lives (Schelbred & Nord, 2007) and/or experienced serious long-term emotional consequences .…”