Emergency Nurses as Second Victims of Error: A Qualitative Study

There are many nurses who are victims of errors in the hospital environment. It is quite essential to perceive the outcome of mistakes in nurses' profession. The aim of this scientific study was to interpret the causes that place nurses in danger of errors in emergency departments and also the consequences resulting from confronting the errors in the job environment. This research was designed to pursue a qualitative approach following content analysis. Through the purposeful sampling, 18 emergency nurses were selected to participate in this study. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. Data collection continued until saturation was reached. The results of data analysis were presented in three different categories: the psychological reactions to error, learning from errors, and avoiding reactions. The current study revealed that errors could create positive and negative impacts on the emergency nurses' attitude. Confronting the errors through learning from the mistakes can result in the improvement of patients' safety whereas the negative outcomes can provoke destructive effects on nurses' career. Nurses are considered as victims of errors; therefore, they need support and protection to enhance their career.