Psychological, physical, and professional impact on second victims in veterinary anaesthesia: a cross-sectional...

To investigate the psychological, physical and professional impact of veterinary patient safety incidents (PSIs) on veterinary anaesthesia professionals.

We conducted an observational cross-sectional survey, inviting veterinary anaesthesiologists, anaesthesiologists in training and veterinary nurses/technicians through social media platforms from 2 June 2023 to 20 September, 2023. The questionnaire was based on Second Victim Experience and Support Survey (SVEST) and analysed using descriptive statistics and subscale scoring to assess psychological, physical and professional impacts.

A total of 303 participants from 31 countries responded, including North (24%), Central (13.5%) and South America (25%), Europe (13.5%), UK (12.5%), Australia/New Zealand (8.1%) and Asia/Middle East (3.3%). A participation rate cannot be estimated. All respondents described themselves as second victims, with 70% encountering a PSI in the past 6 months. Of the 303 participants, 75% had direct involvement with the incident. Common post-incident challenges included an increased awareness for PSIs (67.1%), fear of new PSIs (62.7%), diminished confidence (56.1%), more defensive medicine practice (46.7%) and sleep disorders (43.3%). Additionally, 62.7% agreed or strongly agreed that they experienced embarrassment post-incident. After a PSI, approximately 69% of the participants reported feeling inadequate in their animal care abilities, and a similar percentage questioned their professional competence. Over half of the respondents (54.6%) became fearful of undertaking high-risk procedures. Approximately 38% of respondents considered leaving the field of anaesthesia, and over 56% harboured thoughts of leaving their job because of the stress from PSIs. Additionally, a significant proportion (69.8%) reported not taking time off work following PSIs.

The study identifies a significant psychological, physical and professional impact on the surveyed veterinary anaesthesia professionals, with notable effects on their emotional well-being and professional self-efficacy. The findings emphasize the need for supportive measures and interventions to mitigate the adverse effects experienced by these individuals.