From the School of Pharmacy, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Department of Sociology, Durham University, Durham.
J Patient Saf. 2021 Aug 1;17(5):335-340. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000844.
Patient safety incidents can have a profound effect on healthcare professionals, with some experiencing emotional and psychological distress. This study explored the support medical and nonmedical operating room staff received after being involved in a surgical patient safety incident(s) in 5 UK teaching hospitals.
An invitation letter and information sheet were e-mailed to all medical and nonmedical operating room staff (N = 927) across the 5 sites. Semistructured interviews were arranged with a range of different healthcare professionals working in operating rooms across a wide variety of surgical specialities. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive thematic approach.
We conducted 45 interviews with medical and nonmedical operating room staff, who emphasized the importance of receiving personalized support soon after the incident. Operating room staff described how the first "go to" people were their peers and reported feeling comforted when their peers empathized with their own experience(s). Other participants found it very difficult to seek support, perceiving it as a sign of weakness. Although family members played an important role in supporting second victims, some participants felt unable to discuss the incident with them, fearing that they might not understand.
There should be clear support structures in place for operating room staff who have been involved in surgical incidents. Health organizations need to offer timely support to frontline staff after these incidents. Senior clinicians should be proactive in offering support to junior colleagues and empathize with their own experiences, thus shifting the competitive culture to one of openness and support.
患者安全事件会对医疗保健专业人员产生深远的影响，一些人会经历情绪和心理困扰。本研究探讨了在英国 5 家教学医院发生手术患者安全事件后，医疗和非医疗手术室工作人员所获得的支持。
向 5 个地点的所有医疗和非医疗手术室工作人员（N=927）发送了一封邀请信和信息表。与来自各种外科专业的手术室的各种医疗保健专业人员安排了半结构化访谈。访谈进行了录音，逐字记录，并使用归纳主题方法进行了分析。
我们对 45 名医疗和非医疗手术室工作人员进行了访谈，他们强调在事件发生后尽快获得个性化支持的重要性。手术室工作人员描述了他们的同行是他们的第一“求助”对象，当他们的同行对自己的经历表示同情时，他们感到安慰。其他参与者发现很难寻求支持，认为这是软弱的表现。尽管家属在支持第二受害者方面发挥了重要作用，但一些参与者觉得无法与他们讨论事件，担心他们可能不理解。
应该为参与手术事件的手术室工作人员建立明确的支持结构。卫生组织需要在这些事件发生后及时为一线工作人员提供支持。高级临床医生应该主动为年轻同事提供支持，并同情他们自己的经历，从而将竞争文化转变为开放和支持的文化。
