2023-09-14 15:30:26
Almost all pediatricians (89 percent) have already been confronted with a traumatizing experience during their career. According to a survey, two out of three doctors said that such stressful incidents had already happened several times. Aggressive patients or relatives as well as unexpected deaths were particularly frequently cited as examples.
Around 420 of the 2,100 pediatricians contacted filled out a questionnaire for the study published on Thursday. The survey was carried out by the “Second Victim” association in cooperation with the Austrian Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine (ÖGKJ), the Wiesbaden Institute for Healthcare Economics and Patient Safety (WiHelP) and the Emergency Medicine Training Center in Singen eV ( NOTIS). The first quantitative survey study in Austria on the topic has now been published in the specialist journal “Healthcare”.
“Second victims” are those treating people, such as doctors, nurses and physiotherapists, who have been traumatized because of an unforeseen incident, a medical error or harm to a patient. If the experience is not dealt with, the affected person could develop psychological and physical symptoms of illness, which could lead to work restrictions, sick leave and ultimately even leaving the profession. More than 70 percent of those surveyed did not know the term “second victim.”
The results showed that, in addition to legal advice, those affected primarily wanted low-threshold communication with colleagues. Working in private practice currently poses an increased risk of being affected by the “second victim” phenomenon. The authors advocate introducing support programs such as peer support both in private practice and in-clinic settings. This would also be required of health workers. Such programs could also reduce sickness absence and staff turnover, according to those responsible for the study.
“We need psychosocial support structures for medical staff, because it concerns us all. If we are sick, we cannot adequately care for sick people,” said Eva Potura, founder and chairwoman of “Second Victim” in the run-up to Patient Safety Day on January 17th September.
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