Involvement in a patient safety event can result in serious psychological consequences for healthcare workers. This article describes the importance of proactive organizational planning to protect and support healthcare workers after involvement in a patient safety event and provides several examples of successful peer-support programs, such as the Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE) program or the Center for Professionalism and Peer Support.

Medical trainees suffer from "second victim syndrome" (SVS) at rates similar to practicing healthcare professionals but they may not have the same resources to recover. This study of medical students' experiences describes the usual triggers of SVS such as patient harm, but also from negative responses by supervising physicians. Formal instruction and open discussion of SVS can support students' well-being and recovery.

Healthcare workers who are involved in patient safety incidents and experience adverse psychological or emotional outcomes are often referred to as second victims. This systematic review and meta-analysis found that 58% of healthcare workers in intensive care unit (ICU) settings have experienced second victim outcomes, including guilt, anxiety, anger at oneself, and decreased self-confidence. The review also found that one in five individuals took longer than 12 months to recover or did not recover at all, underscoring the importance of organizational support programs for healthcare workers involved in patient safety incidents.

Patient safety is a global health concern. For this study, representatives from 27 countries reported on rules, laws, and policies in their country related to adverse events and medical errors. As expected, laws varied widely between countries regarding issues such as apology laws, patient compensation schemes, and legal and emotional support for clinicians involved in adverse events.

Clinicians who are involved in a patient safety incident can experience psychological harm. This literature review of 104 studies identified five levels of support that can be provided to healthcare workers after a patient safety incident – (1) prevention, (2) self-care of individuals and/or teams, (3) support by peers and triage, (4) structured professional support, and (5) structured clinical support.

The second victim concept encompasses an important concern for the impact of unsafe care on health care workers. This commentary discusses the topic and the need for system-level solutions to ensure surgical team members involved with patient harm due to errors can heal, and in doing so, provide safe care to their patients.

Healthcare providers may experience emotional distress after involvement in an adverse or traumatic event. This qualitative study with 198 healthcare professionals identified common emotions experienced after adverse events as well as the types of support needed after involvement in an adverse event. These findings can contribute to the development and refinement of support programs for healthcare workers after adverse events.

Reporting and learning from adverse events are core components of patient safety. In this qualitative study involving 15 surgeons from four academic hospitals in Norway, researchers identified several individual and structural factors influencing serious adverse events as well as both positive and negative implications of transparency regarding adverse events. The authors highlight the importance of systemic learning and structural changes to foster psychological safety and create space for safe discussions after adverse events.

After unanticipated adverse events, healthcare providers may experience negative emotions, such as sadness, anxiety, or anger, sometimes referred to as the "second victim" experience (SVE). In this study of 171 respiratory therapists, more than half reported they had been part of an event that resulted in SVE. Nearly three-quarters reported that short staffing played a role in their emotional distress, and half indicated COVID-19 contributed to their SVE. In line with other studies, the most desired type of support following an adverse event was talking to a peer.

Committing errors can result in significant emotional impact on clinicians. In this study, a survey of medical assistants in Germany found that poor collaboration was a key predictor of concerns for having committed a medical error.

‘Second victim’ is controversial term used to describe health care professionals who experience continuing psychological harm after involvement in a medical error or adverse event. In this study, an expert panel reviewed existing definitions of ‘second victim’ in the literature and proposed a new consensus-based definition.

Healthcare workers (HCWs) who are involved in serious adverse events may feel traumatized by those events, and many organizations have implemented “second victim” training programs to support their workers. This study sought to understand HCWs’ motivations to attend such trainings and a potential association with overconfidence. Understanding the association may help organizations develop effective training programs and increase motivation to attend them.

Healthcare workers (HCW) and patients can experience negative psychological impacts following medical error; the negative impact can be compounded when workers and patients are prevented from processing the error. This study explored interactions between patients/families and HCWs following a medical error, highlighting barriers to communication, as well as the need for training and peer support for HCWs. Importantly, HCW and patients/families expressed feeling empathy towards the other and stressed that open communication can lead to healing for some.

Medical errors may lead to feelings of distress for clinicians, but these errors can also be an opportunity for growth. This study used the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool (SVEST) and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory to assess the extent, if any, of growth following a medical mishap. Rumination and the impact of the medical mishap were associated with distress among both physicians and nurses. The impact of the event was associated with growth in nurses, but no factor was associated with growth in physicians.

Healthcare staff who are involved in a medical error often experience emotional distress. Using qualitative methods and text mining of medication error incident reports, researchers in this study identified the negative emotions experienced by healthcare staff after a medication error (e.g., fear, guilt, sadness) and perceptions regarding how superiors and colleagues effectively responded to the events (e.g., reassurance, support, and guidance).

“Second victims” are healthcare providers and support staff involved in an unexpected adverse event and experience continuing psychological harm. While some hospitals provide formal support for “second victims,” it is frequently underutilized. In addition to implementing (and improving) formal support programs, this commentary also encourages a culture of safety and understanding of the 6-stage pathway toward recovery.

Honest apology is known to support healing from medical error for clinicians, patients, and families. This essay shares the experience of one physician who missed signs of a heart attack, mislabeling the condition as fatigue, who then apologized for the mistake. The author highlights how openness about the error was crucial in the continuation of the care relationship.