[Critical events in intensive care and emergency medicine : Peer support in coping with critical events]

Frustrating reanimations, ethical dilemmas, or violence occur from time to time in intensive care and emergency medicine and exceed what is "normal" even in the broader professional sense. Such events often trigger existential questions among healthcare professionals, can lead to a feeling of an unjust world, and can shake their hope or even their sense of meaning. Healthcare professionals need the freedom and safety to address these thoughts and feelings. One approach to supporting those affected in coping is peer support, a system that has already worked well in the USA and counteracts the rising absenteeism and fluctuation rates among healthcare professionals.