Development and evaluation of an external second victim support program for nurses: a single-group feasibility study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Patient Safety
• Mental Health Support

Background:

• Nurses involved in patient safety incidents often require psychological support.
• Existing internal support programs can be slow to implement.
• There is a need for accessible external support programs for nurses experiencing adverse events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an external support program for nurses as second victims.
• To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this novel program.
• To assess the program's impact on nurses' psychological well-being.

Main Methods:

• A single-group pretest-posttest design was employed.
• Nurses were recruited from three hospitals and online platforms.
• Participants attended three one-on-one counseling sessions.

Main Results:

• 11 nurses completed the program, with 10 providing pre/post data.
• High participant satisfaction and willingness to recommend the program were reported.
• A significant reduction in the Impact of Event Scale-Revised Korean version (IES-R-K) scores was observed (median 30.0 to 16.0, p=0.028).

Conclusions:

• An external second victim support program is feasible and acceptable for nurses.
• The program shows potential in alleviating psychological distress.
• Further controlled trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are recommended.