Care of the clinician after an adverse event

The past two decades has seen a growing understanding that health care leads to harm in a large number of patients. With this insight has come an understanding that clinicians who care for patients who are harmed experience an understandable and predictable emotional response. After an adverse event, medical care givers may experience a wide range of symptoms including anger, guilt, shame, fear, loneliness, frustration and decreased job satisfaction. These may be accompanied by physical signs of fatigue, sleep disturbances, concentration difficulties, tachycardia and hypertension. These clinicians have been referred to as the "second victims." While many clinicians recover relatively quickly from an adverse event, for some this syndrome can last for weeks, months or indefinitely. Some have even contemplated or completed suicide. Being involved in an adverse event or error may also negatively impact the quality of care the clinician subsequently provides, either because of acute emotional distraction or chronic burnout. This can lead to additional errors and a vicious cycle of error, burnout and error. Health care systems have a moral responsibility to care for second victims. Care might be as simple as asking, "Are you OK?" and acknowledging the normal human emotional response to adverse events. Some centers have developed formal peer support programs in which clinicians are trained to act as peer supporter for emotional recovery after adverse events. Finally, more formal emotional support systems might be needed by some clinicians, including employee assistance programs, hospital clergy or psychological and psychiatric services.