Citation

Burlison JD, Quillivan RR, Scott SD, Johnson S, Hoffman JM. J. Patient Saf. 2016; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

From the Department of *Pharmaceutical Sciences, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee; †Patient Safety and Risk Management, University of Missouri Health Care, Columbia, Missouri; ‡Department of Nursing Administration, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; and §Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, Tennessee.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/PTS.0000000000000301

PMID

27811593

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Second victim experiences can affect the well-being of healthcare providers and compromise patient safety. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationships between self-reported second victim-related distress to turnover intention and absenteeism. Organizational support was examined concurrently because it was hypothesized to explain the potential relationships between distress and work-related outcomes.

METHODS: A cross-sectional, self-report survey (the Second Victim Experience and Support Tool) of nurses directly involved in patient care (N = 155) was analyzed by using hierarchical linear regression. The tool assesses organizational support, distress due to patient safety event involvement, and work-related outcomes.

RESULTS: Second victim distress was significantly associated with turnover intentions (P < 0.001) and absenteeism (P < 0.001), while controlling for the effects of demographic variables. Organizational support fully mediated the distress-turnover intentions (P < 0.05) and distress-absenteeism (P < 0.05) relationships, which indicates that perceptions of organizational support may explain turnover intentions and absenteeism related to the second victim experience.

CONCLUSIONS: Involvement in patient safety events and the important role of organizational support in limiting caregiver event-related trauma have been acknowledged. This study is one of the first to connect second victim distress to work-related outcomes. This study reinforces the efforts health care organizations are making to develop resources to support their staff after patient safety events occur. This study broadens the understanding of the negative effects of a second victim experience and the need to support caregivers as they recover from adverse event involvement.

Language: en