THE SECOND VICTIMS PHENOMENON AMONG CLINICIANS: A HIDDEN ICEBERG IN HEALTHCARE

Dr Pranav Kumar Choudhary; Dr Pramod Kumar; Dr Madhav Madhusudan Singh; Dr Preethi John

Volume : VIII, Issue : VI, June - 2019

THE SECOND VICTIMS PHENOMENON AMONG CLINICIANS: A HIDDEN ICEBERG IN HEALTHCARE

Dr Pranav Kumar Choudhary, Dr Pramod Kumar, Dr Madhav Madhusudan Singh, Dr Preethi John

Abstract :

Objectives: Second victim experiences can affect the well–being of clinician and compromise patient safety and outcome of healthcare delivery. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of second victims in among clinicians, surgeons and medical officers and their effect on them. Level of problem and organizational support were examined concurrently because it was hypothesized to explain the potential relationships between distress and work–related outcomes. Methods: A cross–sectional, questionnaire based survey of clinicians directly involved in patient care (N = 530 ) was analyzed by using hierarchical linear regression. The Second Victim Experience and Support Tool i.e SVEST (27 items representing 7 dimensions, 5 outcome ) was completed by 530 healthcare providers involved in direct patient care. The survey collected responses on second victim–related psychological and physical symptoms and the quality of support resources. Desirability of possible support resources were also measured. The SVEST was assessed for content validity, internal consistency, and construct validity with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: CFA results suggested good model fit for the survey. Cronbach‘s alpha reliability scores for the survey dimensions ranged from 0.62 to 0.84. The respondents show various outcome as Intentions to turnover , Absenteeism, Suicidal tendency ,Depression and Breakup in family in significant number. The most desired second victim support option were �An employee assistance program should be there that can provide free counseling to employees� followed by �A respected peer / Senior from same or other specialty to discuss the details of what happened� Conclusions: The SVEST can be used by healthcare organizations to evaluate second victim experiences of their staff as well as the quality of existing support resources. It can also provide healthcare organization leaders with information on second victim–related support resources most preferred by their staff.