Does One Size Fit All? Assessing the Need for Organizational Second Victim Support Programs.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Second victims are healthcare professionals emotionally affected by unanticipated patient adverse events.
• Organizational support programs can mitigate the impact of these events on healthcare providers.
• Understanding the scope of the second victim phenomenon is crucial for developing effective support systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of the second victim problem in Maryland's acute care hospitals.
• To determine the availability of emotional support services for affected healthcare providers.
• To assess the perceived need for organizational support programs for second victims.

Main Methods:

• Conducted in-depth, semistructured interviews with 43 patient safety representatives across 38 Maryland acute care hospitals.
• Employed a mixed-methods approach with QSR NVivo10 software for qualitative data analysis and descriptive statistics for quantitative data.
• Achieved an 83% hospital response rate, indicating broad engagement with the study's objectives.

Main Results:

• All interviewed hospital representatives acknowledged the existence of the second victim problem.
• While opinions on dedicated programs varied, all participants agreed on the necessity of organizational support.
• Stigma associated with speaking up and accessing support remains a significant barrier, despite efforts to promote a 'just culture'.

Conclusions:

• The second victim problem is universally recognized within Maryland hospitals.
• Barriers such as stigma impede healthcare providers' access to available support services.
• Future research should prioritize second victim perspectives to identify and overcome barriers, enhancing program effectiveness and uptake.