High Amber E, Forest Sharron
Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA.
Nursing, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA.
Cureus. 2025 Feb 11;17(2):e78854. doi: 10.7759/cureus.78854. eCollection 2025 Feb.
The second victim phenomenon profoundly impacts clinicians and compromises care. Peer support is a preferred and practical resource, yet accounts of successful initiatives are scarce. Our findings revealed an urgent need: 20% of clinicians experienced emotionally distressing work events in the past month, 88% observed affected colleagues, but only 20% felt adequate support was available. In response, we quickly launched a scalable, evidence-based peer support program with peer-to-peer and online resources to safeguard clinician well-being. Over three months, trained peers facilitated 33 support encounters related to adverse events and personal issues, including bullying. An online platform designed to destigmatize mental health and normalize second victimhood received over 100 visits. Post-implementation, 77% reported timely, adequate support, and awareness of the term "second victim" doubled. This cost-effective, rapid rollout enhanced the perceptions of support and fostered a caring culture among clinicians. Our transferable approach offers a proactive solution for all healthcare disciplines to support second victims, mitigate burnout, and enhance suicide prevention efforts.
二次受害者现象对临床医生产生了深远影响，并损害了医疗服务。同伴支持是一种理想且实用的资源，但成功举措的报道却很少。我们的研究结果揭示了一种迫切需求：20%的临床医生在过去一个月中经历了情绪困扰的工作事件，88%的人观察到同事受到影响，但只有20%的人觉得能获得足够的支持。作为回应，我们迅速推出了一个可扩展的、基于证据的同伴支持项目，提供同伴之间的支持以及在线资源，以保障临床医生的福祉。在三个月的时间里，经过培训的同伴促成了33次与不良事件和个人问题（包括欺凌）相关的支持交流。一个旨在消除心理健康污名化并使二次受害者身份正常化的在线平台收到了100多次访问。实施后，77%的人报告获得了及时、充分的支持，“二次受害者”一词的知晓率翻了一番。这种具有成本效益的快速推广提高了对支持的认知，并在临床医生中营造了一种关怀文化。我们这种可推广的方法为所有医疗学科提供了一个积极主动的解决方案，以支持二次受害者、减轻职业倦怠并加强自杀预防工作。
