Second victim phenomenon among healthcare students: A scoping review

This study aims to explore the "second victim" phenomenon in healthcare professions students following an adverse event.

In healthcare settings, adverse events affect not only patients but also the involved healthcare personnel, who experience a wide range of physical and psychological responses, a situation known as the second victim phenomenon. This phenomenon also extends to students in health-related professions during their clinical training, yet there needs to be more research specifically addressing this group.

A scoping review METHODS: This scoping review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework. In December 2023, we conducted a comprehensive database search in PubMed, the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and the Virtual Health Library (VHL). The review included original research studies of any design that focused on the second victim phenomenon among students, published in English, Spanish, German or Portuguese, with no restrictions on the publication date. The review was reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines.

Seven studies were selected, primarily involving nursing and medical students. Common triggers of the second victim phenomenon in students were medication errors, patient falls and procedural errors. Described symptoms ranged from emotional distress, such as stress and hypervigilance, to physical symptoms, like sleep disturbances. Among the factors that influenced how this "second victim" phenomenon manifested in students were the reactions of their peers and the lack of support from supervisors. Contrary to the three possible outcomes described for professionals as second victims (surviving, thriving, or leaving), students are only described with two: giving up or moving on.

The studies highlighted the crucial role of peer and supervisor support in managing such difficult situations. The results suggest that additional research is necessary in other healthcare disciplines. Educational and healthcare institutions should improve their preventive and management strategies to address the phenomenon's impact on students.